LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Surplus Assets Sales

Nigel Evans: To ask the Leader of the House whether his Office sold any surplus stock on the eBay auction website, in each year since 2000–01.

Phil Woolas: No.

Surplus Assets Sales

Nigel Evans: To ask the Leader of the House what the value of sales of surplus assets from his Office was in each year since 2000–01.

Phil Woolas: This Office has not sold any surplus assets since 2000–01.

TRANSPORT

Aircraft Pollution

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the Government intends to respond to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's Report entitled Aircraft in Flight; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Atkins: The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's (RCEP) report The Environmental Effects of Civil Aircraft in Flight" was their response to the Government's 2002 consultation on the future development of air transport in the UK. The Secretary of State for Transport met the chairman of the RCEP, Sir Tom Blundell, in March 2003 to discuss the report. The report was one of over 500,000 responses to the consultation, which informed decisions on The Future of Air Transport" White Paper published in December 2003.

M5

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when an evaluation was last carried out of the need for traffic light controls at Junction 14 on the M5; who was consulted on the results; and whether the results were published.

David Jamieson: The last evaluation of the need for traffic light controls at Junction 14 on the M5 was undertaken by the Highways Agency in October 2004. The agency consulted South Gloucestershire council, who are the highway authority for the B4509 at Junction 14.
	The traffic light controls will prevent traffic queuing back onto the motorway and improve safety for right turning traffic from the B4509 onto the M5, which has been the cause of a number of collisions. In accordance with normal practice, the results of the evaluation were not published.

M5

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transportif he will make a statement on the operation of the newly installed traffic lights at Junction 14 on the M5.

David Jamieson: The lights at this junction have been installed to help improve safety for all road users by reducing the number of personal injury accidents and decreasing congestion. The Highways Agency and its contractor are currently working to rectify a component problem and the lights should be operational by the end of March.

Motor Cycling Strategy

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of the Government's motor cycling strategy, with particular reference to the proposal to amend the Government's guidance on bus lanes, on levels of use of powered two wheelers; and what assessment he has made of the consequent effects of any changes in levels on (a) the Government's objectives to encourage increased walking, cycling and public transport use, (b) the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, (c) overall road safety, (d) pollutant emissions and (e) noise emissions.

David Jamieson: The National Motorcycling Strategy is a framework for developing policy and action to ensure that motorcycling is fully recognised as a mode of transport. The Department has published research by consultants Halcrow and Rand Europe and WSP into factors affecting the level of use of motorcycles, which included preliminary assessments of environmental effects of greater use, although not specifically in the context of allowing motorcycles to use bus lanes. The Government is aware of a number of concerns relating to motorcycling in bus lanes which is why we are working with local authorities to evaluate the safety and other effects of this before revising our guidance. We will consult widely on any resulting changes to the guidance.

Penalty Payments

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport where responsibility will lie for the collection of penalty payments from train operating companies once the Railways Bill comes into force.

Tony McNulty: Penalty payment provisions are contained in some, though not all, passenger rail franchise agreements. Under the Railways Bill, responsibility for passenger rail franchises would pass to the Secretaries of State for Transport and Scotland as appropriate.

Pollution (Ships)

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding the timescale for UK compliance with (a) MARPOL, (b) the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships 1973, (c) the Protocol of 1978 and (d) associated regulations.

David Jamieson: The United Kingdom has ratified the MARPOL Convention and the protocols to the Convention. The United Kingdom has already implemented Annexes I, II, III and V to MARPOL in national law, and is in the process of implementing Annexes IV and VI. I have received no representations regarding the timescale for UK compliance with MARPOL.

Rail Services

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will include the introduction of new rolling stock as part of the negotiations for the new East Coast Mainline contract.

Tony McNulty: Bidders for the franchise have been allowed to propose their own rolling stock solutions for the provision of the service within the specifications laid out in the Invitation to Tender. This does not exclude new rolling stock as a potential option.

Rail Services

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on increases in rail fares for 2005–06; and what action he plans to take to invest in the rail network and improve services.

Tony McNulty: Following the Strategic Rail Authority Fares Review in 2003 we announced that regulated fares would in future rise by RPI plus 1 per cent. from January 2004. This would help redress the balance of funding between the taxpayer and the fare payer. Increases in unregulated fares are a commercial matter for the train operating companies.
	Government funding and investment in the rail network continues to run at unprecedented levels. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, made a detailed statement on this matter on 10 February 2005, Official Report, column 93WS.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) Executive agencies within the remit of his Department have regional offices based on the Government offices for the regions' regional structure; and when the regional offices were established in each case.

Charlotte Atkins: None of the non-departmental public bodies and Executive agencies within the remit of this Department have regional offices based on the Government offices for the regions' regional structure.

SS Richard Montgomery

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether there were (a) chemicals and (b) biological weapons or component parts on board the SS Richard Montgomery when it sank in the Thames Estuary.

David Jamieson: The cargo manifest for the SS Richard Montgomery does not list any chemical or biological weapons, or component parts. However, I have recently commissioned work to examine the current risks posed by the ordnance that remains on board. The results of this study will inform consideration of possible future management options for the wreck.

Thameslink

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the reliability of Thameslink services from Mill Hill and Hendon.

Tony McNulty: Reliability problems with the train fleet used by Thameslink during the CTRL blockade affected the performance of its services in the run up to Christmas. Action has been taken to address these problems and performance has since improved.

Train Operating Companies (Compensation)

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid, and on which dates, through the Strategic Rail Authority to train operating companies in respect of compensation for loss of revenue during industrial disputes in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: The arrangements under which the Strategic Rail Authority is able, at its discretion, to compensate train operators for loss of revenue in these circumstances have existed only since March 2003. Since then, payments have been made in March 2003 (£12.65 million); June 2003 (£3 million); January 2004 (£6.8 million); July 2004 (£143,000); and November 2004 (£701,000).

Train Operating Companies (Compensation)

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funds he has set aside to compensate train operating companies in the event of industrial disputes on the railways in the 2004–05 financial year.

Tony McNulty: None. Payments of this sort are made entirely at the discretion of the Strategic Rail Authority and there may well be years in which none is made. No specific provision is therefore made and any payment would have to be funded from within the SRA's existing budgets.

Working Time Directive

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether the 29 March deadline for the introduction of the Working Time Directive regulations applicable to road haulage operators will be met.

Alistair Darling: I have laid the implementing regulations for this directive before Parliament today.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Bird Control

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance she plans to issue to the police on criteria to be used in deciding whether non-lethal methods of control under General Licence WLF18 are ineffective or unpracticable.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 10 March 2005
	There is no requirement for the police to decide whether non-lethal methods of control are either ineffective or impracticable. There are, therefore, no plans to issue guidance to the police on criteria to be used in making such an assessment.

Farmland Rental Prices

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average rental price of farmland in each (a) Welsh and (b) English county was in each of the last five years.

Alun Michael: Farmland rental prices are collected through the Tenanted Land Survey (TLS), previously called the Annual Survey of Tenanted Land (ASTL). We do not produce results on a regional basis for two reasons.
	Firstly, analysis has shown that most of the variation in rental prices is between farm types, with rental consistent across regions within this—i.e. rental prices for a cereal holding are similar no matter where the holding is located.
	Secondly, the relatively small sample size means that data would not be sufficiently robust to make valid and precise conclusions on a county level basis.
	Instead we publish data by farm type. Results, by farm type, for the each of last five years for Full Agricultural Tenancies (FATs) and Farm Business Tenancies (FBTs) are shown as follows:
	
		England -- Average rent (£/ha)
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2004 Percentage change 2002–04 
		
		
			 All Agreements of one year or more 122.92 125.11 124.22 119.34  
			  (±2.34) (±2.42) (±4.73) (±2.26) -4 
			   
			   
			 Seasonal Agreements (less than one year) 123.77 129.71 102.85 113.22  
			  (±15.71) (±10.40) (±7.29) (±8.90) +10 
		
	
	
		All FATs -- Average rent (£/ha)
		
			 Type of holding 2000 2001 2002 2004 Percentage change 2002–04 
		
		
			 Cereal 128.88 124.39 125.14 124.63  
			  (±4.98) (±6.58) (±9.16) (±7.66) -0.4 
			   
			 General Cropping 143.89 140.66 134.64 140.18  
			  (±4.87) (±9.86) (±13.88) (±8.52) +4.1 
			   
			 Dairy 143.15 137.61 131.67 128.64  
			  (±4.50) (±5.47) (±7.06) (±6.51) -2.3 
			   
			 Cattle and Sheep (LFA) 34.74 31.42 32.94 33.04  
			  (±1.81) (±2.15) (±2.84) (±2.10) +0.3 
			   
			 Cattle and Sheep (Lowland) 85.39 102.37 101.15 111.96  
			  (±3.48) (±6.39) (±7.55) (±5.45) +10.7 
			   
			 All 114.76 111.33 110.13 109.97  
			  (±2.57) (±3.16) (±3.57) (±2.37) -0.1 
		
	
	
		All FBTs of one year or more -- Average rent (£/ha)
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2004 Percentage change 2002–04 
		
		
			 Cereal 190.24 182.30 175.67 160.24  
			  (±6.59) (±6.35) (±8.60) (±22.64) -8.8 
			   
			 General Cropping 217.38 214.78 219.24 205.31  
			  (±9.86) (±7.67) (±11.52) (±22.97) -6.4 
			   
			 Dairy 177.76 173.06 164.37 176.64  
			  (±8.82) (±6.93) (±10.10) (±20.04) +7.5 
			   
			 Cattle and Sheep (LFA) 51.63 52.90 48.78 46.77  
			  (±3.50) (±4.64) (±8.04) (±4.14) -4.1 
			   
			 Cattle and Sheep (Lowland) 112.61 112.41 110.65 98.02  
			  (±9.04) (±7.72) (±10.26) (±16.90) -11.4 
			   
			 All 164.98 161.33 156.05 143.33  
			  (±3.46) (±3.54) (±4.69) (±4.47) -8.1 
		
	
	
		Wales -- Average rent (£/ha)
		
			  2000 
		
		
			 All agreements—one year and over 82.77 
			  (±4.80) 
			   
			 Other agreements—one year and over 103.65 
			  (±18.54) 
		
	
	
		All FATs -- Average rent (£/ha)
		
			 Type of holding  
		
		
			 Dairy 118.01 
			  (±13.45) 
			   
			 Cattle and Sheep (LFA) 48.6 
			  (±6.77 ) 
			   
			 Cattle and Sheep (Lowland) 93.61 
			  (±11.66) 
			   
			 All 69.55 
			  (±5.23 ) 
		
	
	
		All FBTs of one year or more -- Average rent (£/ha)
		
			 Type of holding 2000 
		
		
			 Dairy 162.06 
			  (±20.85) 
			   
			 Cattle and Sheep (LFA) 81.56 
			  (±8.22) 
			   
			 Cattle and Sheep (Lowland) 105.15 
			  (±20.02) 
			   
			 All 109.82 
			  (±6.56) 
		
	
	A full set of results for England and Wales are available on the web at the following locations:
	http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/statnot/astl.pdf
	http://www.wales.gov.uk/keypubstatisticsforwales/content/publication/agriculture/2002/sdr71–2001.xls
	Please note that the survey was not run in England in 2003. This is because we moved from the annual survey (ASTL) in 2002 to the biennial one (TLS) in 2004. No results for Wales are available since 2000.
	Please note also that agriculture in Wales is a devolved matter and so falls under the remit of the National Assembly for Wales. The statistics are publicly available and so are quoted here with references.
	The survey will next be run in England in 2006.

Horse Exports

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many horses have been exported live from the UK in the last 10 years.

Alun Michael: According to the Department's system for issuing export health certificates, the number of equines exported from the United Kingdom are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1996 1,169 
			 1997 8,119 
			 1998 11,086 
			 1999 9,579 
			 2000 9,176 
			 2001 14,284 
			 2002 10,785 
			 2003 9,130 
			 2004 21,936 
		
	
	The above figures were produced from data obtained from an electronic export health certificate issuing system which became operational towards the end of 1996.
	These figures include the temporary export of equines as well as the re-export of imported animals.
	These data do not include equines exported in accordance with the tripartite agreement, under which export health certificates are not required for the movement of horses to the Republic of Ireland or registered horses to France.
	The tripartite agreement was suspended during the foot and mouth outbreak which led to exports of equines to the Republic of Ireland and France requiring export health certificates.

Soil Guideline Values Task Force

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what sub-groups have been set up to the Soil Guideline Values Task Force; when she expects them to report to the Task Force; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what the aims of the Soil Guideline Values Task Force are; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what discussions she has had with local councils regarding contaminated land and the Soil Guideline Values Task Force; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what guidance she has given local councils regarding dealing with (a) contaminated land and (b) contaminated residential land with regard to the Soil Guideline Values Task Force; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  when she expects the Soil Guidelines Values Task Force to report; whether its report will be publicly available; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Soil Guideline Values Task Force is an initiative of the Cabinet Office Business Regulation team and the Government Departments and Agencies most involved in the publication of the Defra/Environment Agency soil guideline values and related materials. This technical guidance helps in assessing risk to human health in connection with land contamination, for example when considering regulatory action or proposals for development of land. Two subgroups have recently been set up to explore training and possible additional guidance. The Local Authority Standing Conference on Land Contamination is represented on the Task Force, and all local authorities in England were notified about the initiative earlier this year. No other guidance has been given to local authorities in respect of the Task Force. We currently expect proposals from the Task Force later in the year, and that these will be made publicly available.

Sustainable Development

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what additional resources she plans to commit to the Sustainable Development Commission in support of the new role of evaluating and reporting progress made by Government in delivering their sustainable development commitments, as announced in the recent report on sustainability.

Elliot Morley: Work is ongoing to define and address specific requirements of the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) in meeting its enhanced role as watchdog for sustainable development. That role is still being developed along with other changes to the way the SDC works and is managed which will ensure that the SDC continues to be viewed as making a valuable contribution.
	Once we have a firmer view of these requirements Defra will provide the resources necessary for the SDC to carry out its enhanced remit effectively and efficiently.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Education Business Links (Kent)

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the budget for Education Business Link in Kent is for 2004–05; and what she expects it to be in 2005–06;
	(2)  how much Business Link Kent has charged for administering the Education Business links in the county in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04 and (c) 2004–05.

Stephen Twigg: Funding to support Education Business Link activities is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Mark Haysom the LSC's Chief Executive will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Direct Grants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the private and voluntary organisations to which her Department has made direct grants since April 2004.

Derek Twigg: The information in the form requested is not held by the Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Department is developing a more comprehensive management information system and has data from April 2004 onwards for voluntary sector organisations, but does not yet hold data centrally about grants to other organisations. The following list sets out those voluntary organisations that have received direct grants from the Department since April 2004.
	Action for Prisoners Families
	Advisory Centre for Education
	African Families Support Services
	Agency for Culture and Change Management
	Anyadwe Children and Family Welfare Association
	ARC
	BAPS Care 4 Children
	Barnardo's
	Bradford Family Service Unit
	British Refugee Council
	Calderdale Women's Centre
	Care for the Family
	Centre for Fun and Families
	Chance UK
	Change
	Children's Legal Centre
	Children's Society
	Childrens Foundation
	Circles Network
	Coalition for the Removal of Pimping
	ContinYou (CEDC)
	Coram Family
	Crime Concern
	Dawson Films Exposure Partners
	Eating Disorders Association
	Families Need Fathers
	Family Matters Institute
	Family Nurturing Network
	Family Rights Group
	Fathers Direct
	Forum on Prisoner Education
	Good Shepherd Charities for Children
	Henshaws Society for Blind People
	Inclusive Play Opportunities Project
	Island Volunteers
	Kith & Kids
	Lambeth Mencap
	Learning Partnerships
	Leeds Animation Workshop
	Local NE Community Foundation
	Lubavitch Youth
	Mancroft Advice Project
	Medway Ethnic Minority Forum
	NACCC
	Nacro (Sheffield)
	National Autistic Society
	National Children's Centre
	National Deaf Children's Society
	National Society (C of E)
	National Tenants' Resource Centre
	NCH South West
	NCOPF
	New Forest & Romsey Mobile Com.
	NFPI
	One Plus One
	Oxfordshire Parenting Forum
	Paces Sheffield
	Parentline Plus
	Parents First
	Parenting Education and Support Forum
	Pippin
	Place to be
	Positive Parenting Publications
	Prader Willi Syndrome Association
	Relate South Essex
	Race Equality Unit
	RNIB
	SCOPE
	Single Parent Action Network
	South London Tamil Welfare Group
	Springboard Family Project
	Student Force for Sustainability
	Talking Matters Association
	The Warren
	Trust for the Study of Adolescence
	UNLOCK
	Wai Yin Chinese Women Society
	Yemeni Economic and Training Centre
	YMCA England
	Young Minds
	YWCA England.

Education Funding

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money the Government allocated per child in (a) primary, (b) middle and (c) upper schools in each constituency in (i) Norfolk and (ii) Suffolk in 2004–05.

Stephen Twigg: Funding is allocated to local education authorities by age rather than phase and cannot be broken down by constituency. The following figures show funding provided by the Government for pupils aged 3–10 and 11–15 in 2004–05:
	
		£
		
			 LEA Pupils aged 3–10 Pupils aged 11–15 
		
		
			 Norfolk 3,420 4,200 
			 Suffolk 3,230 4,070 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.The government allocates funds to LEAs via Education Formula Spending and grants. These funds are then distributed by the LEA to schools within their area according to their own local formulae. Education Formula Spending is part of the wider local government finance system and is supported by council tax as well as central government grant.
	2.Total funding includes funding via Education Formula Spending and revenue grants. These figures include the pensions transfer to EFS and the Learning and Skills Council, and are in cash terms.
	3.Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of education EFS settlements and include the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC.
	4.Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 3–10 and 11–15 and exclude EMAs and grants not allocated at LEA level.
	5.The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to £ per pupil are those underlying the EFS settlement calculations.
	6.Figures are reported in cash terms and rounded to the nearest 10 as reported by the LEA.

Education Funding

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State forEducation and Skills what the level of funding per pupil in North Tyneside was in each year from 1996 to 2001.

Stephen Twigg: As a result of data changes and changes to the funding system, comparable figures are not available for 1996–97. The following table shows total funding per pupil aged 3 to 19 in North Tyneside from 1997–98 to 2001–02 in real terms.
	
		North Tyneside LEA
		
			  Per pupil (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,690 
			 1998–99 2,750 
			 1999–2000 2,870 
			 2000–01 3,150 
			 2001–02 3,320 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Price base: Real terms at 2003–04 prices GDP deflators as at 30 September 2004.
	2.Figures include formula funding and grants within the DfES Departmental Expenditure Limit.
	3.They exclude Education Maintenance Allowances and grants not allocated at LEA level.
	4.The pupil numbers used are those underlying the SSA settlement calculations plus PLASC 3 -year-old maintained pupils and estimated 3 to 4-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.
	5.Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

Further Education (Tunbridge Wells)

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects the funding gap between school sixth forms and further education colleges in Tunbridge Wells to be closed.

Kim Howells: The Department does not have information on what the funding gap is between school sixth forms and further education colleges in Tunbridge Wells specifically.
	However, we have brought up funding levels for Further Education as we said we would, without penalising schools. The Learning and Skills Council's funding rates per course in FE have been rising faster than school sixth forms and the gap has narrowed.
	Our policy has been to raise the level of funding for colleges, as and when we are able to secure the resources to do so.

GCSEs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many entrants graded A*, A and B at GCSE level in (a) mathematics, (b) chemistry and (c) physics were from (i) independent, (ii) grammar and (iii) maintained schools in (A) 2003 and (B) 2004; and what percentage of each cohort this was in each case.

Stephen Twigg: The tables show for (A) 2003 and (B) 2004 the numbers of entrants and those achieving grades A*-B at GCSE (a) mathematics, (b) chemistry and (c) physics by type of institution, together with the proportions of the whole cohort that these numbers represent.
	
		(A) 2003
		
			   Entered Achieving A*-B 
			 School type (admissions basis) Number of 15-year-old pupils Number Percentage of cohort Number Percentage of cohort 
		
		
			 (a) Maths  
			 Grammar schools 21,706 21,633 100 18,675 86 
			 All maintained schools 577,791 545,244 94 147,173 25 
			 Independent schools 44,331 39,773 90 30,204 68 
			 All schools 622,122 585,017 94 177,377 39 
			   
			 (b) Chemistry  
			 Grammar schools 21,706 6,868 32 5,631 26 
			 All maintained schools 577,791 26,730 5 16,334 3 
			 Independent schools 44,331 14,135 32 11,957 27 
			 All schools 622,122 40,865 7 28,291 5 
			   
			 (c) Physics  
			 Grammar schools 21,706 6,871 32 5,761 27 
			 All maintained schools 577,791 26,228 5 16,492 3 
			 Independent schools 44,331 13,836 31 11,721 26 
			 All schools 622,122 40,064 6 28,213 5 
		
	
	
		(A) 2004
		
			   Entered Achieving A*-B 
			 School type (admissions basis) Number of 15-year-old pupils Number Percentage of cohort Number Percentage of cohort 
		
		
			 (a) Maths  
			 Grammar schools 22,241 22,170 100 19,339 87 
			 All maintained schools 596,615 564,488 95 155,257 26 
			 Independent schools 46,959 41,492 88 31,971 68 
			 All schools 643,574 605,980 94 187,228 29 
			   
			 (b) Chemistry  
			 Grammar schools 22,241 7,178 32 6,029 27 
			 All maintained schools 596,615 28,624 5 18,485 3 
			 Independent schools 46,959 14,446 31 12,274 26 
			 All schools 643,574 43,070 7 30,759 5 
			   
			 (c) Physics  
			 Grammar schools 22,241 7,183 32 6,043 27 
			 All maintained schools 596,615 28,344 5 18,620 3 
			 Independent schools 46,959 14,164 30 12,004 26 
			 All schools 643,574 42,498 7 30,624 5

GCSEs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many entrants graded A*, A and B at GCSE level in (a) French, (b) German and (c) Spanish were from (i) independent, (ii) grammar and (iii) maintained schools in (A) 2003 and (B) 2004; and what percentage of each cohort this was in each case.

Stephen Twigg: The following tables show for (A)2003 and (B) 2004 the numbers of entrants and thoseachieving grades A*-B at GCSE (a) French, (b) German and (c) Spanish by type of institution, together with the proportions of the whole cohort that these pupil numbers represent:
	
		(A) 2003
		
			   (a) French 
			   Entered Achieving A*-B 
			 School type (admissions basis) Number of 15-year-old pupils Number Percentage of cohort Number Percentage of cohort 
		
		
			 Grammar schools 21,706 13,553 62 10,525 48 
			 Maintained schools 577,791 275,866 48 65,087 11 
			 Independent schools 44,331 28,606 65 22,971 52 
			 All schools 622,122 304,472 49 88,058 14 
		
	
	
		
			   (b) German 
			 School type (admissions basis) Number of 15-year-old pupils Entered  NumberPercentage of cohort Achieving A*-B  NumberPercentage of cohort 
		
		
			 Grammar schools 21,706 8,163 38 5,619 26 
			 Maintained schools 577,791 112,583 19 29,065 5 
			 Independent schools 44,331 8,076 18 6,513 15 
			 All schools 622,122 120,659 19 35,578 6 
		
	
	
		
			   (c) Spanish 
			 School type (admissions basis) Number of 15-year-old pupils Entered  NumberPercentage of cohort Achieving A*-B  NumberPercentage of cohort 
		
		
			 Grammar schools 21,706 3,121 14 2,216 10 
			 Maintained schools 577,791 43,273 7 11,981 2 
			 Independent schools 44,331 8,026 18 6,445 15 
			 All schools 622,122 51,299 8 18,426 3 
		
	
	
		(B) 2004
		
			   (a) French 
			 School type (admissions basis) Number of 15-year-old pupils Entered  NumberPercentage of cohort Achieving A*-B  NumberPercentage of cohort 
		
		
			 Grammar schools 22,241 13,723 62 10,445 47 
			 Maintained schools 596,615 260,346 44 66,350 11 
			 Independent schools 46,959 29,363 63 23,411 50 
			 All schools 643,574 289,709 45 89,761 14 
		
	
	
		
			   (b) German 
			 School type (admissions basis) Number of 15-year-old pupils Entered  NumberPercentage of cohort Achieving A*-B  NumberPercentage of cohort 
		
		
			 Grammar schools 22,241 8,204 37 5,685 26 
			 Maintained schools 596,615 108,189 18 31,462 5 
			 Independent schools 46,959 8,156 17 6,528 14 
			 All schools 643,574 116,345 18 37,990 6 
		
	
	
		
			   (c) Spanish 
			 School type (admissions basis) Number of 15-year-old pupils Entered  NumberPercentage of cohort Achieving A*-B  NumberPercentage of cohort 
		
		
			 Grammar schools 22,241 3,358 15 2,410 11 
			 Maintained schools 596,615 44,909 8 13,665 2 
			 Independent schools 46,959 8,629 18 6,970 15 
			 All schools 643,574 53,538 8 20,635 3

Liverpool Local Education Authority

Robert Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding her Department has provided to the Liverpool local education authorityin each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is contained within the following table:
	
		
			  Total funding (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 252.9 
			 1998–99 262.7 
			 1999–2000 273.1 
			 2000–01 302.1 
			 2001–02 313.5 
			 2002–03 318.8 
			 2003–04 323.6 
			 2004–05 327.9 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Real terms at 2003–04 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 September 2004.
	2.Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of education SSA/EFS settlements and exclude the pensions transfer to EFS and LSC in 2003–04 and 2004–05.
	3.Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES departmental expenditure limits relevant to pupils aged 3–19 and exclude EMAs and grants not allocated at LEA level.
	4.Total funding figures are rounded to the nearest £0.1 million and funding per pupil figures are rounded to the nearest £10 as reported by the LEA.
	5.2003–04 and 2004–05 figures are provisional as some grants have not yet been finalised/audited.

London Metropolitan University

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will undertake an inquiry into the management of the London Metropolitan University.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend will not be undertaking such an inquiry as universities are autonomous, independent bodies that are responsible for determining their own management practice.
	However, a condition of funding by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is that institutions must have effective governance and internal control. HEFCE monitors how institutions are meeting these requirements and reviews institutional systems of risk management.
	Any individual who has concerns about an institution's governance and control, can raise these through HEFCE's public interest policy and procedure.

London Metropolitan University

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will take-up representations urging her to seek a resolution of the industrial dispute at London Metropolitan University.

Kim Howells: As universities are autonomous, independent bodies they are responsible for determining their own academic and administrative affairs, including terms and conditions for their staff. The Government play no part in setting conditions of service for higher education staff, and as such is unable to intervene in this matter. This dispute can only be resolved by the university, as the employer, in negotiation with the relevant trade union body, in this case, NATFHE.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding was provided to support the new Oxford Dictionary of National Biography project; at what stage; and through what channels.

Kim Howells: holding answer 7 March 2005
	The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography project received £3.7 million in public funding between 1992 and 2004. Funding was in the form of an annual grant from the British Academy, via Oxford University, to the Oxford University Press (OUP), and supplemented OUP's own investment in the project of over £22 million.

Plymouth Local Education Authority

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total per pupil funding in the Plymouth local education authority area was in (a) 1999 and (b) 2004–05.

Stephen Twigg: In Plymouth LEA the total funding per pupil aged 3 to 19 was £3,000 for 1999–2000 and £3,640 for 2004–05.
	Notes
	1.This figure includes funding via Education Formula Spending and grants allocated at an LEA level. It excludes the pensions transfer to EPS and the Learning and Skills Council, and is in real terms. 2.Real terms at 2003–04 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 September 2004 and rounded to the nearest 10. 3.Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 3 to 19 and exclude EMAs and grants not allocated at LEA level. 4.The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures to per pupil are those underlying the SSA/EFS settlement calculations plus PLASC 3-year-old maintained pupils and estimated 3 to 4-year-olds funded through state support in maintained and other educational institutions where these are not included in the SSA pupil numbers.

Sex Education

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance her Department issues to schools on the provision of sex and relationship education.

Derek Twigg: The Department issues to all maintained schools our sex and relationship guidance which we have provided since July 2000.
	The responsibility for determining a school policy on sex and relationship education rests with governing bodies and head teachers. Copies of the guidance can be downloaded at www.dfes.gov.uk/sreguidance.

Special Educational Needs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance her Department has issued to local education authorities on reporting of expenditure under section 52 on special educational needs.

Stephen Twigg: My Department issues detailed instructions and guidance on the reporting of expenditure under section 52 on special educational needs to every local education authority in England. Ihave placed a full copy of those instructions and guidance on section 52 in the House of Commons Library.

Special Educational Needs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department has taken to ensure the (a) descriptors and (b) guidance for the section 52 special educational needs (SEN) lines reflect practice in SEN provision.

Stephen Twigg: My Department undertakes an annual consultation with every local education authority on the contents of the section 52 instructions and guidance notes. As part of this process, my Department also consults with practitioners responsible for the development and implementation of the SEN framework.

Special Educational Needs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on interaction between local education authorities and the Learning and Skills Council in funding post-16 education for children with special educational needs.

Stephen Twigg: In addition to the normal communications concerning funding matters, I expect the Learning and Skills Council and local education authorities to liaise and to plan their activities to best meet the needs of all learners including those with special educational needs.

Special Educational Needs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research her Department has conducted on the accuracy and consistency of reporting by local education authorities, under section 52 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, of expenditure on provision for special educational needs; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: My Department undertakes a detailed and robust data checking process of all the section 52 data, submitted by local education authorities including that provided for expenditure on special educational needs. In addition, my Department analyses the validated data and discusses any inconsistencies found in the time series with the relevant LEA.

Student Loans

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list companies involved in the collection of student loan repayments.

Kim Howells: Mortgage-style student loans are collected by the Student Loans Company (SLC) on behalf of the Government and the Royal Bank of Scotland (the owner of a portfolio of loans sold in 1998). The SLC advises that it also uses the following companies as agencies for arrears collection, although some work might be further outsourced: Allied International Credit; Financial Trace and Collections; JB Debt Recovery; Lewis Group; Logic Group; NCO Financial Services (UK) Ltd.; and Wescot Credit Services.
	A further portfolio of loans, sold to Honours Trustee Limited in 1999, is administered and collected by Ventura (Club 24 Limited), trading as Honours Student Loans. Ventura advises that it also uses the following companies as agents for arrears collection: Clarity Credit Management Solutions Ltd. and Dryden's.
	Income-contingent student loans are collected by the Inland Revenue, mainly through deduction at source by employers.

Student Loans

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent in 2004 on keeping graduates informed of changes in collection arrangements for student loan repayments.

Kim Howells: The Department and the Student Loans Company (SLC) regularly keep students and graduates informed of the latest arrangements for student finance, and these communications have been updated to reflect the rise in the repayment threshold for income contingent student loans, to take effect from April 2005, and the annual change in the repayment threshold for mortgage-style loans. The Department and the SLC incurred no specific additional expenditure in 2004 for these changes to the collection arrangements.

Student Visas

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many overseas students requiring visas to study in the UK are studying in (a) higher education, (b) further education and (c) other education sectors in the academic year 2004–05.

Kim Howells: The latest available figures are for 2003/04 and are given in the table. Corresponding figures for other education sectors are not held centrally.
	
		Number of students from overseas requiring visas in HE and FE institutions
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 In HE institutions(1) 110,340 
			 In FE colleges(2) 33,600 
		
	
	(1)Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency. Covers students on HE and FE courses in HEIs in the UK.
	(2)Source: Learning and Skills Council. Covers students in HE and FE courses in FE colleges in England.

School Staff (Kent)

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants were employed in (i) Dartford primary and secondary schools and (ii) the Kent local education authority area in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: The following table shows the full-time equivalent number of teachers and teaching assistants in maintained schools, pupil referral units and other non-school provision in Dartford constituency and Kent local education authority in January 2000 to January 2004.
	
		
			  Dartford Kent 
			  FTE Teachers FTE Teaching Assistants FTE Teachers FTE Teaching Assistants 
		
		
			 2004 
			 Nursery (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Primary 390 220 5,440 2,820 
			 Secondary 460 60 6,270 910 
			 Special 60 50 430 570 
			 PRU/Other 10 10 60 30 
			 Total 920 330 12,200 4,330 
			  
			 2003 
			 Nursery (3)— (3)— 10 (3)— 
			 Primary 390 190 5,200 2,640 
			 Secondary 450 50 5,730 830 
			 Special 50 70 420 650 
			 PRU/Other 10 10 100 30 
			 Total 900 310 11,460 4,160 
			  
			 2002 
			 Nursery (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Primary 390 160 5,050 2,350 
			 Secondary 430 40 5,750 740 
			 Special 40 60 410 500 
			 PRU/Other 10 10 110 30 
			 Total 870 260 11,310 3,620 
			  
			 2001 
			 Nursery (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Primary 400 90 4,960 1,680 
			 Secondary 410 20 5,850 530 
			 Special 40 60 390 500 
			 PRU/Other 10 10 120 40 
			 Total 860 170 11,320 2,750 
			  
			 2000 
			 Nursery (3)— (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 Primary 400 80 4,970 1,520 
			 Secondary 400 20 5,810 460 
			 Special 40 50 400 450 
			 PRU/Other 10 (3)— 120 40 
			 Total 850 150 11,300 2,470 
		
	
	(3)0 or less than 5.
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual School Census, (teaching assistants) and Annual Survey of Teachers in Service and Teacher vacancies (teacher numbers). Figures are as at January of each year.

Teenage Mothers

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of teenage mothers aged under 18 years were in paid employment or full-time education in each year since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: Between 1997–99 and 2002–04 there has been an increase in the proportion of teenage mothers in education, employment or training (EET), from 23.1 per cent. in 1997–99 to 29.7 per cent. in 2002–04.
	Data on the proportion of teenage mothers in EET are derived from the Labour Force Survey and are presented as three year averages to smooth out annual fluctuations that can occur due to the small sample size from which the data are derived. Data for 2003–05 will be available in August 2005. EET figures include those in part-time as well as full-time EET.

Under-achievement

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Educationand Skills what steps the Government are taking to assist under-achieving pupils in schools in England.

Stephen Twigg: The Primary National Strategy and the KS3 National Strategy (which is developing into a secondary strategy covering the whole 11–16 stage) are designed to raise standards for all pupils by spreading effective teaching and learning to every classroom. Through the national strategies we have provided teachers with a suite of age specific intervention materials which allow children who are struggling to catch up with their peers. Specific programmes, such as the Strategies' English as an Additional Language (EAL) pilot and Aiming High Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils", also address the needs of particular groups of under-achieving pupils which include African-Caribbean pupils, Gypsy and Traveller pupils, pupils from mainly Muslim backgrounds and isolated minority ethnic pupils. In addition, schools now have access to better data on individual pupils and comparative performance than ever before which enables them to identify underperformance and set appropriately challenging pupil targets.

PRIME MINISTER

Arctic Convoys Medal

Mike Hancock: To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has received from the Honours and Decorations Committee concerning a medal for veterans of the Arctic convoys.

Tony Blair: I have received advice from the Chairman of the Honours and Decorations Committee on this matter. Such advice is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Iran

Anne Campbell: To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has held with President George W. Bush on relations with Iran.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr. Davey) on 21 February 2005, Official Report, column 193W.

DEFENCE

Tsunami (Military Assistance)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Air Force staff have been involved in delivering humanitarian aid and support equipment to Indonesia after the tsunami.

Ivor Caplin: I begin by paying tribute on behalf of the whole House to all those civilian and military personnel from the United Kingdom who were involved in the tsunami relief effort in December and January.
	The RAF's main contribution has been the airlift of both aid and equipment. Eleven C17 Globemaster loads were delivered to Banda Aceh in Indonesia.
	Several hundred RAF personnel have been involved in the operation, in one way or another, most notably from RAF Brize Norton and RAF Lyneham.

Defence Intelligence

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been made to Defence Intelligence in the last two years, with particular reference to quality, methods of gathering and relevant onward transmission.

Adam Ingram: The mission of the Defence Intelligence Staff is to provide timely and highly valued intelligence that will guide departmental decisions on Defence policy and the commitment and employment of the United Kingdom's armed forces; inform decisions on the generation and maintenance of operational military capability, including through the equipment programme; and contribute to wider national intelligence collection and assessment. The Defence Intelligence Staff is continually striving to improve working methods and capabilities to meet both current and future demands. The Butler Review made a number of recommendations, which were accepted by the PM, and we are working to address those specific to Defence Intelligence.

Army Strength

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on changes in the number of trained personnel in the Army since 1997.

Ivor Caplin: In April 1997 the number of trained service personnel in the Army was 101,360. In January 2005, the latest period for which figures are available, the number was 103,560.

Future Infantry Structure Review

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the conduct of the Future Infantry Structure Review.

Geoff Hoon: Work to restructure the Infantry has been an important part of our effort to reshape the Army's structure to ensure that it evolves to meet the challenges of current and future operations. The Infantry work was led by the Army itself and involved a consultation period to allow the Infantry divisions to express their views on constructing the future Infantry structure. The results were considered by the Executive Committee of the Army Board, which were then passed to me. Iaccepted this advice and announced the outcome to the House on 16 December last year.

Infantry Battalions

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) regular and (b) territorial infantry battalions were in service in the British Army (i)in 1997 and (ii) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Ivor Caplin: On 1 April 1997 there were 40 regular and 33 territorial infantry battalions in service in the British Army. Today there are 40 regular and 15 territorial infantry battalions.

Aircraft Carrier Project

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the first new aircraft carriers to become fully operational; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Full operating capability will be determined by both air group and ship readiness. The target date for the full operating capability will not be set before the main investment decision is taken.

Aircraft Carrier Project

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's aircraft carrier programme.

Geoff Hoon: The Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) programme remains in the Assessment Phase. Following the recent announcement of the selection of Kellogg Brown and Root UK Ltd. as the preferred Physical Integrator, the company has joined the Department, BAE SYSTEMS and Thales UK as a participant in the CVF Alliance. Work is continuing to discuss and agree the detailed alliancing arrangements, including the role and responsibilities of the participants, in preparation for taking the major investment decision for the Demonstration and Manufacture Phases, currently targeted for the latter half of 2005.

Armoured Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the gross weight is of the Panther armoured reconnaissance vehicle; and which aircraft type can airlift such a vehicle.

Adam Ingram: The current gross vehicle weight of a Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle is 7.1 tonnes. The vehicle is to be air transportable, underslung beneath a Chinook helicopter or carried inside C130, C17 and A400M aircraft.

Armoured Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which nations (a) manufactured and (b) developed the Panther armoured reconnaissance vehicle.

Adam Ingram: The Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle is based upon an Italian designed IVECO Multi-role Light Vehicle which is due to enter service with the Italian Army. BAE Systems Land Systems is responsible for converting the vehicle to meet UK specification.

Arms Ban (China)

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he had with his EU counterparts regarding the EU proposals for lifting the ban on arms sales to China; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government supported the decision of the European Council in December 2003 to review the EU Arms Embargo on China. This review is on-going.
	Member states discussed the embargo at the European Council in December 2004. The Council invited the Luxembourg presidency of the EU to take forward work on the review. The Government could envisage embargo lift subject to satisfaction on the issues laid out in the Conclusions of that Council.
	Until the review process is complete, the Government continues to implement the Arms Embargo as set out by the then Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the late Derek Fatchett, in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Vernon Coaker) on 3 June 1998, Official Report, columns 240–41.

Arms Ban (China)

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department's officials had with US Department of Defense officials regarding the EU proposals for lifting the ban on arms sales to China; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government recognises that the US has a legitimate and understandable interest both in the effectiveness of the EU's system of arms control and in the stability of the East Asian region. Representatives of the UK and US governments, at all levels, have therefore discussed the issue. Such discussions will continue, as they will also between the US and our EU partners. Although the EU will take all relevant factors into account in its review of the EU Arms Embargo, any decisions arising from it are for the EU alone.

British Military Camps (Iraq)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made for the disposal of sewage from British military camps in Iraq; what environmental assessment has been conducted in respect of such arrangements; and what liaison has taken place with the local environmental management authorities on these arrangements.

Adam Ingram: Private contractors undertake the disposal of sewage from British military camps in Iraq. There are no central Government or regional government environmental management authorities in Iraq but UK standards are applied where it is reasonable to do so.

Civil Servants

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants were (a) suspended and (b) sacked from employment by his Department in each year since 2001 under suspicion of breaching the Official Secrets Act 1989.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 7 March 2005
	Information on the number of civil servants suspended while under suspicion of breaching the Official Secrets Act is not held centrally, and would incur disproportionate cost to obtain the data from individual units or business areas. Civil servants are not sacked while suspended under suspicion of breaching the Official Secrets Act.

Civil Servants

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants were (a) suspended and (b) sacked from employment by his Department in each year since 2001 for gross professional misconduct.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 7 March 2005
	Information is not held centrally on the number of MOD civil servants that have been suspended from employment for possible acts of gross misconduct, and it would incur disproportionate cost to collate the data. The number of MOD civil servants that have subsequently been dismissed from the Department in each year since 2001 for gross misconduct offences is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of civil servants dismissed 
		
		
			 2001 15 
			 2002 17 
			 2003 19 
			 2004 18 
			 2005(4) 1 
		
	
	(4)To date

Clothing Contracts

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defencehow many samples produced in China for battle dress under the cut and sew contract have been tested.

Adam Ingram: All of the samples produced in China were tested at independent accredited test houses in China and the United Kingdom. All tests confirmed that Ministry of Defence specification requirements had been met. The Ministry of Defence requires proof that its specifications are being met and it is the responsibility of the prime contractor to ensure that sufficient samples are submitted for testing.

Deaths in Service (Northern Ireland)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what figure he recognises as representing the total number of personnel from each of the armed services that have died in or in connection with operations in Northern Ireland since 1969; and how many of those deaths were deemed to have been (a) accidental, (b) self-inflicted and (c) from natural causes.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Defence Expenditure (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial years (a) 2001–02, (b) 2000–01, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 1998–99 and (e) 1997–98 the Defence Export Services Organisation spent in Scotland in (i) monetary terms and (ii) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: From 1997–98 to 2001–02, the Defence Export Services Organisation employed no staff permanently based in Scotland other than those working in the Disposal Services Agency (DSA) in respect of which I have undertaken to write to the hon. Member.

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on the production of in-house magazines in the Department in each year since 1997.

Ivor Caplin: Detailed expenditure on the many in-house magazines produced within the Ministry of Defence is not available and could be provided only by incurring disproportionate cost. However, details of production costs (excluding staff costs) of the principal MOD-wide publication, FOCUS, for each year since 1998–99 are as follows:
	
		
			  Production costs (£) 
		
		
			 1998–99 167,791 
			 1999–00 174,329 
			 2000–01 161,950 
			 2001–02 164,750 
			 2002–03 205,268 
			 2003–04 179,280 
			 2004–05 (to January 2005) 150,656 
		
	
	Information for 1997–98 is no longer available.

Departmental Efficiency Programme

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the cashable savings attributable to his Department's efficiency programme are for the (a) Disposal Services Agency, (b) Duke of York's Royal Military School, (c) Medical Supply Agency, (d) Ministry of Defence and Guarding Agency and (e) Naval Recruiting and Training Agency for financial years (i) 2006–07 and (ii) 2007–08;
	(2)  what the planned cashable savings attributable to his Department's efficiency programme are for the (a) Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency, (b) Army Training and Recruiting Agency, (c) British Forces Post Office, (d) Defence Analytical Services Agency and (e) Defence Bills Agency for financial years (i) 2006–07 and (ii) 2007–08;
	(3)  what the planned cashable savings attributable to his Department's efficiency programme are for the (a) Defence Communication Services Agency, (b) Defence Dental Agency, (c) Defence Estates, (d) Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency and (e) Defence Intelligence and Security Centre for financial years (i) 2006–07 and (ii) 2007–08;
	(4)  what the planned cashable savings attributable to his Department's efficiency programme are for the (a) Pay and Personnel Agency, (b) Queen Victoria School, (c) RAF Training Group Defence Agency, (d) Service Children's Education, (e) Veterans Agency and (f) Warship Support Agency for financial years (i)2006–07 and (ii) 2007–08.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 18 January 2005
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 25 January 2005, Official Report, column 242W.

Equipment Programmes

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which equipment programmes have been (a) reassigned, (b) moved and (c) removed from (i)EP04 and (ii) EP05.

Adam Ingram: The broad impact of the outcome of the 2004 equipment planning round (EP04) was described in the Defence White Paper supplement 'Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities' (Cm6269), published in July 2004. However, changes to planning assumptions arising during our annual planning round form part of internal advice to Ministers on the overall affordability of the defence programme. Announcements will continue to be made as appropriate when decisions are taken on specific projects.

European Defence Agency

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the UK financial contribution to the European Defence Agency was in the last financial year; what it is expected to be over the next five years; and what percentage the UK contribution is of the overall agency cost.

Adam Ingram: Member states' percentage contributions towards the budget of the European Defence Agency are based on assessments of their gross national income. The agency's budget for 2004 covered the period from its formal establishment in July to the end of that year. The United Kingdom contributed 17.28 per cent. of this budget, equating to €308,775.51. For the calendar year 2005, the UK contribution is 18.07 per cent. equating to €3,596,803. There are no formal estimates of the agency's budget for the next five years. However, the budget for 2006 is expected to be less than the 2005 budget which included non-recurring costs associated with the initial set-up of the agency.

Falkland Islands

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the feasibility of reintroducing the Southern Atlantic standing patrol task for the Royal Navy; and if he will make a statement on Royal Navy operations around the Falkland Islands.

Adam Ingram: A Royal Navy frigate or destroyer, together with a Royal Fleet Auxiliary support tanker, is allocated 365 days per year to the Atlantic Patrol Task (South) APT(S). The APT(S) duty ship provides a tangible presence in the Falkland Islands Area of Responsibility (AOR) while also retaining a commitment, together with the Atlantic Patrol Task (North) ship, to provide a presence off the West African littoral. When not in theatre, the APT(S) duty ship remains within 14 days' sailing of the AOR. In addition, a permanent presence is maintained in theatre by the Falkland Island Patrol Vessel.
	The Royal Navy's Ice Patrol Vessel, HMS Endurance, also deploys annually to the South Atlantic region during the austral summer.

Hercules Crash (Iraq)

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Written Statement of 7 March 2005 on Iraq: C130 Hercules Crash Update, Official Report, column 101WS, what the mission was of the UK soldiers on the Hercules flight which crashed in Iraq; what role they were due to fulfil; what related documentation they had in their possession; what joint mission they had with US forces (a) on the flight and (b) at the US base at Balad; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: There was a single soldier of the Royal Corps of Signals and nine members of the Royal Air Force on board the Hercules C130K which crashed on Sunday 30 January 2005. The soldier was providing communications support to the flight. Standard RAF flight documentation was on board.
	The mission of all United Kingdom forces in Iraq is to help it to become a stable, united and law abiding state, within its present borders, co-operating with the international community, no longer posing a threat to its neighbours or to international security, abiding by all its international obligations and providing effective representative government for all its people.
	Our forces are in Iraq as part of a multinational effort (which includes the US) under UN Security Council Resolution 1546 to take all necessary measures to contribute to the maintenance of security and stability in Iraq. The use of the C130K was entirely within the scope of that mission but for reasons of force protection we cannot give further details of the operation. The board of investigation continues to work to determine the cause of the crash.

Intellectual Property (Germany)

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what intellectual property held by QinetiQ was obtained from the then German government (a) between the commencement of hostilities to the unconditional surrender of Germany in 1945 and (b) between the unconditional surrender of Germany and the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany;
	(2)  what intellectual property held by Qinetiq was obtained from private companies (a) between the commencement of hostilities to the unconditional surrender of Germany and (b) between the unconditional surrender of Germany in 1945 and the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany;
	(3)  what the status is of intellectual property obtained by his Department from (a) private companies and (b) ministries of the former German government between the unconditional surrender of Germany in 1945 and the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what the status is of intellectual property obtained by his Department from (a) private companies and (b) the then German Government between the commencement of hostilities to the unconditional surrender of Germany in 1945; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The events mentioned occurred so long ago that it is unlikely that any intellectual property rights exist in any information within the Department originating from Germany prior to its unconditional surrender in 1945. However, as is well known, some technologies now used widely in defence have their origins prior to the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany.
	No intellectual property rights owned by QinetiQ were obtained from Germany prior to the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Iraq

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost of UK military operations in Iraq and the theatre of conflict have been since September 2002, broken down by costs to the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force.

Adam Ingram: The net additional costs of operations are calculated on a joint basis reflecting the joint nature of military operations. It is not possible, or meaningful, to break down these costs by individual service.

Iraq

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from the recently elected political representatives of Iraq concerning the role of the UK armed forces in training Iraqi security forces.

Geoff Hoon: There have been no representations as yet, since the new Iraqi Government has still to be appointed.

Iraq

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects British troops to complete the present mission in Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: British Forces are serving in Iraq as part of the Coalition Force authorised under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546. This mandate will expire upon the completion of the political process or if requested by the Government of Iraq.
	The United Kingdom is committed to Iraq for as long as the Iraqi Government judge that the coalition is required to provide security and assist in the development of the Iraqi Security Forces.

Iraq

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many United Kingdom military personnel were in Iraq on (a) 1 January 2004 and (b) 1 January 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 February 2005
	On 1 January 2004, some 8,700 personnel were deployed on Operation Telic, of which some 7,650 were serving within Iraq. On 1 January 2005, some 9,150 were deployed on Operation Telic, of which some 8,000 were serving within Iraq.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Rules of Engagement in Iraq were changed toreflect the transition from war-fighting to military occupation.

Adam Ingram: Two adjustments were made to the United Kingdom Rules of Engagement in Iraq to reflect the transition from war-fighting to military occupation. These took effect on 11 July 2003 and 17 October 2003. A further ROE change was promulgated in November 2004 in recognition of the challenges UK armed forces face in dealing with the current insurgency.
	We do not comment on the content of ROE for reasons of operational security.

Museums

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) capital and (b) revenue costs of the regimental museum based at Fort George Army Base were in the last year for which figures are available.

Ivor Caplin: The information requested for financial year 2003–04 is shown as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Capital costs 0 
			 Revenue costs 77,000

Naval Refit Contracts

Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the contracted price was for the refit package for HMS Richmond placed with FSL.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 8 March 2005
	The contracted price agreed with FSL for the refit package of HMS Richmond is commercially sensitive information and is, therefore, being withheld. However, it can be revealed that the total cost of the work, including the FSL refit and the installation of additional MOD supplied equipment, is in excess of £20 million.

Naval Sector Strategy Study

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence who the members are of the Naval Sector Strategy Study; what its terms of reference are; and when it will report.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 7 March 2005
	The Naval Sector Strategy Study is an industry-led initiative. Its terms of reference and when it will report are matters for them.

Near Air Misses

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2005, Official Report, column 1342W, on Near Air Misses, when he expects to (a) complete his investigations and (b) publish his conclusions.

Ivor Caplin: Investigations into Airprox (near-miss") incidents in the UK are carried out by the UK Airprox Board (UKAB), not the Ministry of Defence. UKAB is an independent body jointly sponsored by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Ministry of Defence. The timing of the investigation is a matter for the UKAB.
	The UKAB publishes the results of its investigations twice a year in the form of the report Analysis of Airprox in UK Airspace". Each report covers a six-month period, and is issued approximately nine months after the end of the period being reported on. Therefore, the report dealing with the Airprox in December 2004 will appear in September or October 2005, and that covering the February incident some six months later.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many parliamentary questions relating to manning control have not been answered due to disproportionate cost since 1997.

Ivor Caplin: Our records indicate that, since 1997, 11parliamentary questions relating to manning control have not been answered due to disproportionate cost.

Pierre Bolangi

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the result was of the inquiry into the death of Pierre Bolangi on 9 August 2000 while in the care of the School of Physical Training at Aldershot.

Ivor Caplin: The police investigation into Mr. Bolangi's death was the responsibility of the Hampshire constabulary. The investigation led to the conviction of a serving soldier for manslaughter by gross negligence. A Service Board of Inquiry was also convened to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mr. Bolangi's death. The Board made a number of key recommendations related to the policy and conduct of income generation activity within the Army. The Ministry of Defence has since revised its guidance on Selling Government Services into Wider Markets which sets out the framework within which income generation activities can be conducted, and the constraints governing them.

RAF Marham

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost is of providing depth support facilities for the Tornado GR4 at RAF Marham.

Adam Ingram: The cost of providing depth support facilities for the Tornado GR4 at RAF Marham was estimated in the investment appraisal to be some £13.8 million.
	Further work is currently being undertaken to refine the estimate as the end-to-end programme is implemented.

RFA Tankers

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planned decommissioning dates are for each of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tankers.

Adam Ingram: On current plans the RFA tanker decommissioning dates are as follows:
	
		
			  Decommissioning dates 
		
		
			 Fort George 2019 
			 Fort Victoria 2019 
			 Wave Knight 2028 
			 Wave Ruler 2028 
			 Grey Rover 2006 
			 Gold Rover 2009 
			 Black Rover 2010 
			 Brambleleaf 2009 
			 Orangeleaf 2009 
			 Oakleaf 2010 
			 Bayleaf 2010 
		
	
	Two of these vessels, Orangeleaf and Bayleaf, are chartered.
	These dates are, however, kept under review in the light of the Royal Navy's requirements.

Royal Irish Regiment

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the Home Service part-time officers and soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment are excluded from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 29 November 2004
	I will write to the hon. Member about this issue.

Tornado Aircraft

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the crisis manning requirement is for the Tornado GR4; and how this number is arrived at.

Adam Ingram: The current planned Crisis Manning Requirement (CMR) for Tornado GR4 is around 1,850 posts.
	The CMR is a complex equation, derived from totalling the RAF regular and reservist manpower required to meet deployed and non-deployed Defence outputs and commitments, taking into account personnel training requirements, the potential impact of illnesses or injury and guidelines on the amount of time RAF personnel should spend on deployed duties.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the threats the UK's Trident nuclear weapons are (a) intended to deter and (b) targeted against; when this assessment was last (i) reviewed and (ii) changed; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 30 January 2004, Official Report, column 577W.

Trident

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date the last review of command and control procedures for the Trident missile system was (a) started and (b) completed; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer Igave on 1 March 2005, Official Report, column 1148W. The last such audit took place between February and September 2003. Command and control procedures are routinely exercised.

UK Nuclear Capability

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the command and control procedures are for authorisation of the launch of a UK nuclear missile in the event of a nuclear attack on the UK which leads to the destruction of the UK Government.

Geoff Hoon: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear in the answer he gave on 28 January 2003, Official Report, column 774W, to the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Mr. Marsden), the use of the United Kingdom's nuclear weapons may be ordered only by the Prime Minister. It would not be in the interests of national security to comment further on command and control arrangements for the nuclear deterrent.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with antisocial behaviour orders.

Hazel Blears: Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) were introduced in April 1999. From data reported to the Home Office, we know that up to September 2004, 3,826 ASBOs have been issued since they were introduced. An ASBO is a civil order, but a breach of it is a criminal offence.
	The granting of the ASBOs is not the end of the process. Local agencies need to work with those subject to ASBOs as well as their families to ensure that the ASBO is observed and complied with.
	Since February 2004, Parenting Orders can be attached to ASBOs issued to 10–15 year olds. Since May 2004, Individual Support Orders can be attached to ASBOs issued to a 10–17 year old to direct the young person to activities that can address the underlying causes of the antisocial behaviour.
	In the Drugs Bill currently, before Parliament there is a proposal for an Intervention Order that could be attached to an ASBO issued to an adult and which would direct the individual to activities to address the underlying causes of their antisocial behaviour when these are drug related.

Antisocial Behaviour

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many curfew orders have been issued in (a) Essex and (b) Southend for antisocial behaviour since their inception.

Paul Goggins: Curfew orders were not made in Essex prior to 2000. The available information, for the years 2000 to 2003 is contained in the table.
	The offences for which curfew orders are made are classified by statute and no further circumstances of the offences are collected centrally. Antisocial behaviour is not a statutory classification. The table therefore shows all offences for which curfew orders have been made in Essex.
	Statistics for 2004 will be published in the latter part of this year.
	
		Persons sentenced to curfew orders in Essex, by offence, 2000–03
		
			  Number of persons sentenced 
			  Of which: 
			 Offence Essex Southend 
		
		
			 2000   
			 Going equipped for stealing 1 1 
			 Shoplifting 1 — 
			 Fraud 2 2 
			 Assault on police constable 1 1 
			 Common assault 1 1 
			 Fear or provocation of violence 1 — 
			 Drink driving 1 1 
			 Driving licence offence 1 1 
			 Driving without insurance 1 1 
			 Total 10 8 
			
			 2001   
			 Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 1 — 
			 Possession of offensive weapon 1 1 
			 Burglary 1 — 
			 Going equipped for stealing 1 — 
			 Theft and handling 1 — 
			 Fraud 1 — 
			 Arson 1 1 
			 Criminal damage 3 2 
			 Taking and driving away 2 1 
			 Malicious damage 1 1 
			 Driving licence offence 1 — 
			 Driving without insurance 2 — 
			 Total 16 6 
			
			 2002   
			 Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 3 — 
			 Possession of offensive weapon 2 1 
			 Having an article with blade or point in  public place 2 — 
			 Putting people in fear of violence 1 — 
			 Indecent assault on a female 1 — 
			 Burglary 2 — 
			 Robbery 1 1 
			 Aggravated vehicle taking 5 2 
			 Theft and handling 7 — 
			 Arson 1 1 
			 Criminal damage 3 1 
			 Affray 2 — 
			 Racially aggravated fear or provocation of  violence 1 — 
			 Drug offences 3 1 
			 Other indictable offence 1 — 
			 Assault on police constable 1 1 
			 Common assault 6 2 
			 Taking and driving away 2 — 
			 Malicious damage 1 — 
			 Harassment 1 — 
			 Dangerous driving 2 1 
			 Drink driving 2 — 
			 Driving Licence Offence 1 — 
			 Total 51 11 
			
			 2003   
			 Grievous bodily harm 3 — 
			 Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 7 2 
			 Possession of offensive weapon 2 2 
			 Assault with intent to resist apprehension 1 — 
			 Having an article with blade or point in  public place 4 — 
			 Indecent assault on a female 1 1 
			 Burglary 12 1 
			 Robbery 3 1 
			 Aggravated vehicle taking 8 — 
			 Theft and handling 17 5 
			 Arson 1 — 
			 Criminal damage 4 1 
			 Affray 1 — 
			 Racially aggravated fear or provocation of  violence 1 — 
			 Absconding while on bail 3 — 
			 Drug offences 4 — 
			 Assault on police constable 3 1 
			 Common assault 6 1 
			 Causing intentional alarm, harassment or  distress 1 — 
			 Fear or provocation of violence 5 2 
			 Harassment, alarm or distress 1 — 
			 Interference with motor vehicle 1 — 
			 Taking and driving away 9 1 
			 Malicious damage 2 1 
			 Social security offences 1 1 
			 Other summary offence 1 — 
			 Dangerous driving 2 — 
			 Drink driving 9 4 
			 Driving licence offence 7 2 
			 Driving without insurance 1 — 
			 Total 121 26

Autonomy plc

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities have contracts with Autonomy plc.

Hazel Blears: This information is not held centrally and, in any event, decisions on who the police authority and force contract with are made locally.

Begging

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what percentage of individuals who were successfully prosecuted for begging in each year since 1990 (a) had a home address and (b) did not have a home address; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many individuals convicted for begging in each year since 1990 were found to have psychiatric problems; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Information relating to the residency or psychiatric condition of a defendant is not centrally collected on the Home Office court proceedings database.
	However, available information on the number and percentage of successful prosecutions for begging under S3 and S4 Vagrancy Act 1824, England and Wales 1990–2003 is contained in the table.
	
		Number and percentage of persons found guilty for begging under S3 and S4 Vagrancy Act 1824, England and Wales, 1990–2003(5)
		
			  Total found guilty Percentage found guilty 
		
		
			 1990 1,478 90 
			 1991 1,597 87 
			 1992 1,186 83 
			 1993 1,105 80 
			 1994 1,295 85 
			 1995 1,072 83 
			 1996 1,540 83 
			 1997 1,536 85 
			 1998 1,693 84 
			 1999 2,076 82 
			 2000 2,776 84 
			 2001 2,653 83 
			 2002 3,289 84 
			 2003 3,242 83 
		
	
	(5)These data are on the principal offence basis.
	Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn 2005.

National Offender Management Service

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of how the introduction of the National Offender Management Service will affect levels of drug use in prisons.

Paul Goggins: The National Offender Management Service published its National Drug Strategy for the management and treatment of problematic drug users on 20 January. It will strengthen the co-operation and effectiveness of those involved in the delivery of drug interventions across the criminal justice system and will ensure that problematic drug users are managed in a way that optimises chances of success. The strategy can be found online at the Home Office and Prison Service websites.

National Offender Management Service

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there will be duplication of responsibility between the headquarters of the National Offender Management Service and the headquarters of the Prison and Probation Services.

Paul Goggins: The new National Offender Management Service headquarters is being designed to ensure that there is no duplication of responsibility.

National Offender Management Service

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration was given to merging the Prison and Probation Services into one, prior to the publication of the Carter Report.

Paul Goggins: Organisational issues affecting prisons and probation are discussed from time to time. However there was no formal proposal for a merger of the prisons and probation services, nor any preparation of a business case for this, in the period prior to Lord Carter's review. The Carter review itself did not propose such a merger. The last time such a merger was considered was in the 1998 Prisons—Probation review (final report), available at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs/pprcont.html

National Offender Management Service

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the Departments within the National Offender Management Service headquarters that did not previously exist within either the prison or probation services.

Paul Goggins: The new National Offender Management Service headquarters, alongside the Prison Service and Probation Service headquarters, is being redesigned. A proposal, including the allocation of individual units to directorates, has been put forward to staff and trade unions for their comments. The new headquarters is being planned for April 2005 and I will write to the hon. Member once the design of the new headquarters has been agreed.

National Offender Management Service

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate has been made of the change in the number of civil service posts consequent on the creation of the National Offender Management Service; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) consists of the three former organisations—the Prison Service, Probation Service and Correctional Services. The number of civil servants has remained the same with the introduction of the new service, except for the development of a small programme office (12 new posts) to manage the organisation's change programme and the appointment of 10 new regional offender managers. The new NOMS headquarters is being redesigned by April 2005.
	Although there may be temporary increases in civil service posts over the next two years, NOMS remains committed to reducing civil service posts by almost 900 posts to reach a target figure of 2,540 posts by March 2007. To date, 50 per cent. of this reduction has been achieved.

National Offender Management Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are to move (a) Prison Service Headquarters, (b) Probation Service Headquarters and (c) National Offender Management Service Headquarters out of London; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: I am considering relocating the Headquarters of the National Offender Management Service, including the present National Probation Directorate and the Headquarters of the public sector Prison Service, out of London provided that a business case shows that this is cost-effective and that the move could be afforded. Any such relocation is unlikely to take place before 2007–08.

National Offender Management Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget is for the National Offender Management Service headquarters for each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The budget for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) for 2005–06 is £4.035 billion resource and £321 million capital.
	The budget for NOMS central functions, including the office for contracted prisons, is currently £301 million resource for 2005- 06. This is expected to increase as functions are transferred from the prison and probation service headquarters.
	Budgets for 2006–07 and 2007–08 have not been finalised but indicative budgets for the overall NOMS budget in 2006–07 are £4.253 billion resource and £287 capital and, for 2007–08, £4.512 billion resource and £312 million capital.

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will provide a substantive answer to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Southend, West on 13 January 2005 for named day answer, reference 209465, on correspondence.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 27 January 2005
	I replied to the hon. Member on 1 February 2005, Official Report, column 822W.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the decision to extend the jurisdiction of the Criminal Cases Review Commission's jurisdiction to court martial convictions; and when will this be implemented.

Paul Goggins: Agreement in principle has been reached between the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) and the Ministry of Defence concerning the extension of the CCR's jurisdiction to enable them to review convictions at court martial and Standing Civilian Court. Consideration is being given to the possibility of including appropriate provisions within the Armed Forces Bill planned for the 2006 legislative timetable.

Private Mario Clarke

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2005, Official Report, columns 847–48W, on Private Mario Clarke, what steps were taken by the family liaison officer to inform Deveen Clarke of the date of the inquest into the death of her husband; what steps were taken to inform her that public funds would be made available to enable her to attend the hearing; and if he will ensure she is provided with a full transcript of proceedings.

Hazel Blears: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis reports that Mrs. Deveen Clarke was informed of the impending inquest by telephone and by letter when the date of the inquest was known.
	The Metropolitan police also contacted Mrs. Clarke by telephone when they had been informed that she had not been successful in obtaining a visa and to inform her that the coroner was not calling her as a witness.
	As Mrs. Clarke had been unsuccessful in obtaining a visa and therefore could not travel back to the UK, the question of public funds being made available was not an issue.
	Mrs. Clarke was informed of the result of the inquest by letter. The Metropolitan police will on request from Mrs. Clarke make arrangements to provide her with a full transcript of the proceedings.

Defence Equipment Projects

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the approved cost at main gate was for (a) A400M, (b) Astute Class submarine, (c) Bowman and (d) Nimrod, broken down by (i) direct resource DEL, (ii) indirect resource DEL and (iii) capital DEL.

Adam Ingram: Approved costs at original Main Gate or equivalent approval were as follows:
	
		
			 Project Approved cost (£ million) Year 
		
		
			 A400M 3,500 2000 
			 Astute Class submarine 1,900 1997 
			 Bowman 1,984 2001 
			 Nimrod MRA4 2,200 1996 
		
	
	These projects went through the Main Gate or equivalent point prior to the full introduction of Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB). Approvals were therefore on a cash basis and not broken down in the format requested. The latest approved procurement costs at main gate or equivalent on a RAB basis taken from MPR 04 are:
	
		
			Project Approved procurement cost at Main Gate or equivalent as taken from MPR 04 (out turn) (£ million) 
		
		
			 A400M 2,744 
			 Astute Class submarine 2,578 
			 Bowman 2,041 
			 Nimrod MRA4 2,813

Departmental Policies (Coventry)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Coventry, South constituency, the effects on Coventry, South of changes to his Department's policy since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 9 March 2005
	The Government have put in place policies in the areas of crime reduction, antisocial behaviour, policing and active communities that are yielding considerable benefits for the Coventry, South constituency, as well as for all parts of the UK.
	For example, between March 1997 and September 2004, the number of police officers in West Midlands police force increased by 917 from 7,113 to 8,030. The Government's introduction of community support officers (CSOs) in 2002 has put 134 CSOs on West Midlands streets to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour. Between 1997 and 2003–04, the West Midlands police force area has seen a reduction in recorded domestic burglary crimes of 35 per cent. and in recorded vehicle crimes of 28 per cent.
	West Midlands police force is receiving £426.5 million in general grants for 2005–06, an increase of 6.81 per cent. (£27.2 million) over 2004–05. West Midlands also gains around £0.8 million from the Amending Report for 2003–04, bringing the overall increase to 7.0 per cent. General grants funding to West Midlands has increased by 34 per cent. between 1997–98 and 2005–06. In addition to general grants, West Midlands will also receive around £29 million in specific grants funding for targeted initiatives and capital provision in 2005–06. The distribution of resources locally is a matter for the Police Authority and the chief constable.
	As crime prevention requires action across communities, every area has had a local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) since 1998 which brings together the police, health services, drugs agencies and council and community representatives to decide how to prevent and deter crime and antisocial behaviour.
	The Crime Reduction Programme (CRP) was a pioneering Government intervention programme which ran for three years from April 1999 in England and Wales and took an evidence-based approach to crime reduction. Grants of over £340 million were allocated to over 1,470 projects, including CCTV, under 20 initiatives that formed part of the programme. Four CCTV projects in the Coventry CDRP area received a total of £528,226 from the CRP.
	Since 2001, successive initiatives have provided direct funding to each of the 376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in England and Wales. These initiatives include Communities Against Drugs, the Safer Communities Initiative, the Small Retailers in Deprived Areas scheme and the Building Safer Communities Fund. Since 2001, a total of £1.93 million has been allocated to Coventry CDRP under these initiatives. A further £2.03 million has been provided over the two years 2003–04 and 2004–05 to the Home Office regional director in the West Midlands for CDRP capacity building across the region.
	It is estimated that out of a million active offenders, 100,000 have three or more convictions and are responsible for half of all crime. There is a Prolific and other Priority Offenders (PPO) scheme in Coventry set up to target those offenders who cause a disproportionate amount of crime, disorder and antisocial behaviour in the community.
	The Government's crime reduction website provides further information on the work being done to reduce crime across the country, including information about action and results in local areas. It is available at http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk.
	New legislation has given local agencies a raft of powers, from antisocial behaviour orders to local dispersal orders and crack house closure powers, to work with local people to tackle antisocial behaviour and nuisance. In Coventry a total of 73 antisocial behaviour orders have been issued as of 4 March 2005. Coventry is one of the 50 antisocial behaviour action areas across the country set to get extra help to tackle antisocial behaviour. In addition, £25,000 has been awarded to Coventry to tackle families who cause nuisance and misery. Nuisance neighbours are offered intensive family support and given a last chance" to turn around their behaviour, by nuisance neighbour expert panels. Local contacts for tackling antisocial behaviour can be found on http://www.together.gov.uk/authority.asp.
	Tackling drug misuse is a priority of this Government and their policy is set out in the 10-year National Drug Strategy launched in 1998 and updated in December 2002. (A copy of the updated Drug Strategy 2002 is held in the Library.) Under this, the Government have invested substantially in measures to reduce the harms caused by illegal drugs, focussing on the four strands of:
	reducing the supply of illegal drugs;
	preventing young people from becoming problematic drug users;
	providing effective treatment to all who need it; and
	reducing drug-related crime.
	Direct annual funding nationally to tackle drug misuse amounted to £1,244 million in 2003–04, rising to £1,344 million in 2004–05. Coventry has seen a significant increase in direct funding for tackling drugs, in particular for drug treatment services and the through care and aftercare elements of the Drug Interventions Programme. In 2003–04 the allocation for Coventry drug action team amounted to £2.08 million, rising to £2.83 million in 2004–05. Details of action taken to tackle drugs in the Coventry, South constituency can be obtained from the Coventry drugs action team, for contact details see http://www.drugs.gov.uk/Links/DrugActionTeams.
	The Government are working to ensure that citizens, communities and the voluntary sector are more fully engaged in tackling social problems, and there is more equality of opportunity and respect for people of all races and religions. Active community participation in England has increased by 1.5 million people between 2001 and 2003. Charities have been supported more effectively, and £125 million is being invested across the country through the future builders fund in voluntary and community organisations that help provide valuable public services. Advice on ways to engage local people in helping their communities is available on the Active Citizenship Centre website http://www.active-citizen.org.uk.
	This year, 2005, is the year of the volunteer which is being delivered by the Home Office in partnership with Community Service Volunteers and Volunteering England. This will include a whole range of events in local communities across the country that aim to celebrate the contribution which volunteers make to the quality of people's lives, and encourage more people to volunteer. We are particularly keen to encourage young people, black and minority ethnic groups, those with no qualifications and disabled people to get involved. More details can be found at www.yearofthevolunteer.org.
	Detailed information on the impact of Home Office policies across the full range of responsibilities is set out in the Home Office Annual Report and in the Strategic Plan for 2004–08, available on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk.

Driving Convictions

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions for (a) causing death by dangerous driving, (b) dangerous driving and (c) careless driving there were in Greater London in each year since 2000.

Caroline Flint: Available information for the years 2000 to 2002 (latest available) is given in the table.
	2003 data will be available shortly.
	
		Findings of guilt at all courts for specific offences, Greater London(6), 2000–02 -- Number of offences
		
			 Offence 2000 (7)2001 2002 
		
		
			 Causing death by dangerous driving(8) 23 20 24 
			 Dangerous driving(9) 444 485 561 
			 Careless driving(10) 6,168 5,277 4,691 
		
	
	(6)Includes City and Metropolitan police forces.
	(7)Figures amended since publication of the Home Office 'Offences relating to motor vehicles England and Wales 2001 Supplementary tables'.
	(8)Offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988, s1 as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s1 and Criminal Justice Act 1993 s67.
	(9)Offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s2 as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991 s2.
	(10)Offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s3, ss 12(1), 26(2), 33(3) and 168; Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 Regs 19,104–107 and 109.

Drugs

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what measures are being taken to educate and inform potential users of crystal meth of its dangers;
	(2)  what measures are being taken to encourage nightclubs to take action against the use of crystal meth;
	(3)  what measures his Department plans to take to prevent amyl nitrates in any form being sold in nightclubs;
	(4)  what plans he has to introduce new legislation to combat the use of illegal substances.

Caroline Flint: The use of the methylamphetamine or crystal meth in the UK is negligible. We continue to monitor the incidence of methylamphetamine through liaison with police and customs officials. There are no plans to embark on a general education campaign nor one specifically aimed at nightclubs. Talk to Frank provides general information on the harm of all amphetamines.
	There have been no reports of methylamphetamine being sold as amyl nitrate. Methylamphetamine is predominantly in the form of crystals, powder or pill whereas amyl nitrate is a volatile liquid.
	The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), set up a working group in 2004 with a remit of producing a comprehensive report on methylamphetamine. The report is to be discussed at the meeting of the ACMD on 19 May.

Drugs

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish the prevalence of drug use data relating to the British Crime Survey 2003–04.

Charles Clarke: I expect the report Drug Misuse Declared: Key findings from the 2003–04 British Crime Survey" to be published shortly.

Drugs

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the resources saved from the reclassification of cannabis; to what extent savings have been reallocated to the policing of (a) dealing and (b) tackling misuse of class A drugs; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Arrests for cannabis possession have fallen by a third in the first year since reclassification in January 2004, which amounts to an estimated saving of 199,000 police hours. It is an operational decision for each police force to determine the level of resources employed in tackling Class A offences. Operation Crackdown, launched in January and involving 33 forces, demonstrates how forces are working to combat drug misuse and dealing. In the first four weeks of the Operation, 963 arrests were reported for Class A supply offences.

Full Sutton Prison

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to develop the land owned by the Prison Service adjacent to Full Sutton Prison; whether plans for the site remain under consideration; when he expects to reach a decision on the future of the site; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 8 March 2005
	We have no plans at present to develop Prison Service land adjacent to HMP Full Sutton. Development of this site remains an option for providing additional prison capacity as and when it may be needed.

Illegal Immigration

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal entrants to the UK have been detected for each of the past five years.

Des Browne: holding answer 1 February 2005
	The following table shows published data on persons against whom illegal entry action was initiated for each of the past five years. Data was not of sufficient quality for publication in 2003, however it is estimated that 22,950 persons had illegal entry action initiated against them in this year. This figure is based on management information and does not constitute a national statistic. Data for 2004 will be published later this year. Illegal entry action is initiated against those people who are detected having entered or attempted to enter the country clandestinely or by means of deception, either verbal or documentary.
	
		Persons against whom illegal entry action was initiated, 2000 to 2004(11)
		
			  Total persons 
		
		
			 2000 47,325 
			 2001 69,875 
			 2002 48,050 
			 2003 — 
			 2004(12) — 
		
	
	(11)Figures rounded to the nearest 5.
	(12)Not available
	Official statistics on immigration matters are available from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	Annual data for 2004 will be available in summer 2005.

Overseas Students

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many appeals by international students who had their visa applications rejected were upheld by the Immigration Appellate Authority in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many appeals were made to the Immigration Appellate Authority by international students who had their visa applications rejected in each of the last five years;
	(3)  if he will provide a breakdown by visa issuing posts of the number of appeals made by international students who had their visa applications rejected in each of the last five years.

Des Browne: Reliable statistical data in relation to international students who had their visa applications rejected and whose appeals the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA) subsequently upheld are available only for the year 2003. Full year data for 2004 have not yet been collated. Data for years prior to 2003 are not available in the form requested.
	In 2003,1,772 appeals by students who had been refused entry clearance were allowed.
	Data on the number of appeals made by international students relate to appeals lodged with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate rather than with the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA). In 2003, 6,900 appeals were lodged by students who were refused entry clearance. The IAA heard 6,430 student entry clearance appeals. In addition 1,805 appeals were lodged by international students in the United Kingdom whose leave to remain application had been refused.
	In relation to a breakdown by visa issuing post of the number of appeals made by international students (excluding student nurses) who had their visa applications rejected, UK Visas has provided the following data covering the full five-year period. This information was obtained from UK Visas' Central Reference System. It should be noted that, due to the complexity of UK Visas global business, including occasional inconsistencies in data entry across over 150 offices, 100 per cent. accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
	
		Student appeals received 2000–04
		
			 Post 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Abu Dhabi 0 0 1 5 5 
			 Abuja (BHC) 49 60 99 331 387 
			 Accra (BHC) 120 384 893 1,317 1,065 
			 Addis Ababa (BE) 2 2 8 15 9 
			 Algiers 0 0 4 17 15 
			 Almaty 0 1 1 3 19 
			 Amman (BE) 3 3 5 4 10 
			 Amsterdam 0 0 2 4 9 
			 Antananarivo (BE) 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Asmara 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Athens (BE) 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Bahrain 0 1 0 0 3 
			 Baku 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Bangkok (BE) 35 50 64 82 68 
			 Banjul 0 5 66 70 57 
			 Beijing (BE) 63 106 123 278 446 
			 Beirut 0 2 1 6 10 
			 Belgrade (BE) 2 1 8 4 15 
			 Bogota 0 2 1 0 53 
			 Bratislava (BE) 4 19 10 22 0 
			 Bridgetown 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Bucharest (BE) 11 10 11 15 10 
			 Budapest (BE) 3 0 3 3 4 
			 Buenos Aires 0 0 1 2 1 
			 Cairo (BE) 5 7 18 23 13 
			 Casablanca (BCG) 15 11 20 17 16 
			 Chennai (BDHC) 23 51 68 36 54 
			 Chicago 0 0 0 0 4 
			 Chisnau 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Colombo (BHC) 74 173 169 140 271 
			 Copenhagen 0 0 0 8 4 
			 Dakar 0 5 10 21 12 
			 Damascus (BE) 2 2 1 1 5 
			 Dar es Salaam (BHC) 57 65 103 87 85 
			 Dhaka (BHC) 85 251 392 300 692 
			 Dubai 0 0 2 22 14 
			 Dublin 0 0 14 9 11 
			 Dusseldorf (BE) 1 0 0 7 11 
			 Ekaterinburg 0 0 0 3 6 
			 Freetown (BHC) 2 26 29 46 103 
			 Gabarone 0 0 3 12 13 
			 Georgetown 0 0 3 12 7 
			 Guangzhou (BC) 27 57 39 59 31 
			 Hanoi (BE) 1 1 1 0 1 
			 Harare 0 2 3 147 151 
			 Havana 0 0 1 0 1 
			 Hong Kong (BC) 3 3 6 7 28 
			 Islamabad (BHC) 106 775 254 1,364 3,890 
			 Istanbul (BCG) 9 34 87 58 31 
			 Jakarta 0 0 0 7 16 
			 Jedda (BCG) 1 0 5 4 4 
			 Jerusalem 0 0 1 0 7 
			 Kampala (BHC) 1 9 110 205 269 
			 Karachi (BDHC) 72 147 30 0 188 
			 Katmandu (BE) 33 119 112 104 126 
			 Khartoum 0 4 8 6 9 
			 Kiev 0 0 6 14 33 
			 Kingston (BHC) 4 11 10 135 153 
			 Kinshasa (BE) 8 2 10 14 27 
			 Kolkata 0 1 0 13 16 
			 Kuala Lumpur 0 1 3 7 30 
			 Kuwait City (BE) 2 1 0 2 14 
			 Lagos (BDHC) 125 188 272 551 1,438 
			 La Paz 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Lilongwe 0 0 1 0 4 
			 Lima 0 2 1 0 0 
			 Los Angeles 0 0 0 0 6 
			 Luanda 0 0 0 0 2 
			 Lusaka (BHC) 1 6 29 57 38 
			 Manila (BE) 9 17 29 103 195 
			 Maputo 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Maseru 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Mbabane 0 0 0 1 5 
			 Minsk 0 0 3 6 2 
			 Moscow (BE) 9 21 23 15 21 
			 Mumbai (BHC) 24 41 175 273 472 
			 Nairobi (BHC) 44 59 42 86 130 
			 New Delhi (BHC) 14 72 100 286 328 
			 New York (BCG) 1 0 0 1 42 
			 Nicosia (BHC) 6 2 2 13 18 
			 Oslo 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Paris 0 1 1 2 9 
			 Port Louis (BHC) 28 46 65 35 45 
			 Port Moresby 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Port of Spain (BHC) 1 4 3 6 5 
			 Pretoria (BCG) 5 8 11 13 29 
			 Quito 0 1 2 1 16 
			 Rangoon 0 7 26 25 12 
			 Riga 0 0 3 0 0 
			 Riyadh 0 4 0 10 5 
			 Rome (BE) 7 0 4 6 9 
			 Sanaa 0 0 2 0 8 
			 Santo Domingo 0 0 0 0 3 
			 Sarajevo 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Seoul 0 0 0 0 5 
			 Shanghai (BC) 24 56 19 20 20 
			 Singapore (BHC) 4 0 1 6 6 
			 Skopje 0 0 12 8 17 
			 Sofia (BE) 2 20 16 26 19 
			 St. Petersburg 0 3 4 7 4 
			 Stockholm 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Tallin 0 0 1 1 10 
			 Tashkent 0 0 2 10 15 
			 Tbilisi 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Tehran 0 14 64 72 204 
			 Tirana (BE) 2 4 6 12 35 
			 Tokyo (BE) 3 3 8 1 4 
			 Tripoli (BE) 1 1 2 4 26 
			 Tunis (BE) 3 2 8 10 39 
			 Ulaanbaatar (BE) 0 0 2 7 5 
			 Vienna (BE) 0 1 0 1 0 
			 Wellington (BHC) 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Windhoek (BHC) 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Yaounde 0 4 31 80 164 
			 Zagreb (BE) 0 6 5 3 3 
			 Total 1,126 2,999 3,744 6,830 10,309 
		
	
	Source:
	Central Reference System

Overseas Students

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many successful appeals by international students who had their visa applications rejected there were in each of the last five years, broken down by educational institution.

Des Browne: Information on the number of successful appeals broken down by educational establishment is not collated centrally.

Police

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outturn Band D council tax precepts for 2005–06 are for each police authority in England and Wales.

Hazel Blears: Information on Band D council taxes for police authorities in 2005–06 is currently being collected by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Welsh Assembly Government. Figures will be published on 23 March as part of the statistical release on council taxes for 2005–06.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the new Chief Constable of Essex police will be appointed.

Hazel Blears: Essex police authority will hold interviews to select the new Chief Constable of Essex from 9–11 March 2005.

Police

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average number of police officers per 1,000 population in England and Wales is in each police authority.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 7 March 2005
	The latest data for police strength as at 30 September 2004 were published on 24 February in Home Office on-line report number 23/05. This is available from the Home Office website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/onlinepubs1.html.
	Information on the number of police officers per 100,000 population as at 30 September 2004 is given in the following table.
	
		
			 Police force areas Total strength per 100,000 population 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 228 
			 Bedfordshire 214 
			 Cambridgeshire 199 
			 Cheshire 221 
			 Cleveland 287 
			 Cumbria 255 
			 Derbyshire 213 
			 Devon and Cornwall 211 
			 Dorset 211 
			 Durham 289 
			 Dyfed-Powys 238 
			 Essex 192 
			 Gloucestershire 228 
			 Greater Manchester 324 
			 Gwent 255 
			 Hampshire 214 
			 Hertfordshire 208 
			 Humberside 257 
			 Kent 228 
			 Lancashire 253 
			 Leicestershire 245 
			 Lincolnshire 188 
			 London, City of(13) — 
			 Merseyside 313 
			 Metropolitan police 425 
			 Norfolk 193 
			 North Wales 242 
			 North Yorkshire 205 
			 Northamptonshire 202 
			 Northumbria 293 
			 Nottinghamshire 249 
			 South Wales 273 
			 South Yorkshire 265 
			 Staffordshire 220 
			 Suffolk 197 
			 Surrey 182 
			 Sussex 209 
			 Thames Valley 201 
			 Warwickshire 196 
			 West Mercia 201 
			 West Midlands 316 
			 West Yorkshire 262 
			 Wiltshire 197 
			 Total 266 
		
	
	(13)Combined with City of London

Policies

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policies in the areas of (a) crime reduction, (b) antisocial behaviour, (c) policing and (d) active communities have been put in place since 1997 by his Department (i) for all parts of the UK and (ii) in Scotland.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 4 March 2005
	The Government has put in place policies in the areas of crime reduction, antisocial behaviour, policing and active communities that are yielding considerable benefits for all parts of the UK. For Scotland these are devolved matters for the Scottish Executive and for Northern Ireland are matters for the Northern Ireland Office.
	In England and Wales between March 1997 and September 2004, the number of police officers increased by 12,977 from 127,158 to 140,135. The Government's introduction of community support officers (CSOs) in 2002 has put 4,599 CSOs on the streets to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour. Between 1997 and 2003–04, there has been a reduction in recorded domestic burglary crimes of 23 per cent. and in recorded vehicle crimes of 20 per cent.
	Expenditure on policing supported by Government grant or spent centrally on services for the police in England and Wales has increased by over 53 per cent. (26 per cent. in real terms) between 1997–98 and 2005–06.
	As crime prevention requires action across communities, every area in England and Wales has had a local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) since 1998 which brings together the police, health services, drugs agencies and council and community representatives to decide how to prevent and deter crime and antisocial behaviour.
	The Crime Reduction Programme (CRP) was a pioneering Government intervention programme which ran for three years from April 1999 in England and Wales and took an evidence-based approach to crime reduction. Grants of over £340 million were allocated to over 1,470 projects, including CCTV, under 20 initiatives that formed part of the programme.
	Since 2001, successive initiatives have provided direct funding to each of the 376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships in England and Wales. These initiatives include Communities Against Drugs, the Safer Communities Initiative, the Small Retailers in Deprived Areas scheme and the Building Safer Communities Fund. Since 2001, a total of £301.3 million has been allocated under these initiatives. A further £20 million has been provided over the two years 2003–04 and 2004–05 to Home Office Regional Directors for CDRP capacity building.
	The Government's Crime Reduction Website provides further information on the work being done to reduce crime across the country, including information about action and results in local areas. It is available at http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk
	New legislation has given local agencies a raft of powers, from antisocial behaviour orders to local dispersal orders and crack house closure powers, to work with local people to tackle antisocial behaviour and nuisance. There are currently 50 TOGETHER antisocial behaviour action areas in England and Wales. Between April 1999 and September 2004 a total of 3,826 antisocial behaviour orders have been issued. Further information on tackling antisocial behaviour can be found on http://www.together.gov.uk/authority.asp
	Tackling Drug Misuse is a priority of this Government and its policy is set out in the 10 year National Drug Strategy launched in 1998 and updated in December 2002. (A copy of the Updated Drug Strategy 2002 is held in the House Library.) Under this, the Government has invested substantially in measures to reduce the harms caused by illegal drugs, focussing on the four strands of:
	reducing the supply of illegal drugs;
	preventing young people from becoming problematic drug users;
	providing effective treatment to all who need it; and
	reducing drug-related crime.
	Direct annual funding nationally to tackle drug misuse amounted to £1,244 million in 2003–04, rising to £1,344 million in 2004–05. Details of action taken to tackle drugs can be obtained from http://www.drugs.gov.uk/Links/DrugActionTeams
	The Government is working to ensure that citizens, communities and the voluntary sector are more fully engaged in tackling social problems, and there is more equality of opportunity and respect for people of all races and religions. The Home Office has allocated £15 million in grants under the Connecting Communities race equality grant scheme over the three years (2003–06). Active community participation in England has increased by 1.5 million people between 2001 and 2003. Charities have been supported more effectively, and £125 million is being invested across the country through the futurebuilders fund in voluntary and community organisations that help provide valuable public services. Advice on ways to engage local people in helping their communities is available on the Active Citizenship Centre website http://www.active-citizen.org.uk
	This year, 2005, is the year of the Volunteer which is being delivered by the Home Office in partnership with Community Service Volunteers and Volunteering England. This will include a whole range of events in local communities across the country that aim to celebrate the contribution which volunteers make to the quality of people's lives, and encourage more people to volunteer. We are particularly keen to encourage young people, black and minority ethnic groups, those with no qualifications and disabled people to get involved. More details can be found at www.yearofthevolunteer.org
	Detailed information on the impact of Home Office policies across the full range of responsibilities is set out in the Home Office Annual Report and in the Strategic Plan for 2004–08, available on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the governors of each prison as at 1 November together with their length of service (a) as a prison officer and (b) as a governor .

Paul Goggins: A list of current governing governors of public sector Prison Service establishments together with information on the length of time they have served as governing governor at any establishment is contained in the following table. Comprehensive information on time spent in officer grades is not readily available and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the career histories of directors of contracted (privately) managed establishments is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost. The directors of contracted establishments are:
	
		
			 Establishment Director 
		
		
			 Altcourse John McLaughlin 
			 Ashfield Vicky O'Dea 
			 Bronzefield Janine McDowell 
			 Doncaster Rod MacFarquar 
			 Dovegate Kevin Rogers 
			 Forest Bank Ivor Woods 
			 Lowdham Grange Peter Wright 
			 Pare Roy Woolford 
			 Rye Hill Stuart Mitson 
			 Wolds Dave McDonnell 
		
	
	
		
			 Establishment Current governing Governor Time served at any establishment as governing Governor 
		
		
			 Acklington Mike Kirby 9 years 2 months 
			 Albany Mel Jones 2 years 7 months 
			 Ashwell Chris Di Paolo 0 years 8 months 
			 Askham Grange Dawn Elaine 3 years 2 months 
			 Aylesbury David Kennedy 4 years 0 months 
			 Bedford Guy Baulf 0 years 9 months 
			 Belmarsh Geoff Hughes 5 years 4 months 
			 Birmingham Mike Shann 6 years 6 months 
			 Blakenhurst Ferdie Parker 1 years 5 months 
			 Blantyre House Kieron Taylor 0 years 1 months 
			 Blundeston Teresa Clarke 1 years 7 months 
			 Brinsford Tom Watson 3 years 9 months 
			 Bristol Mick Bell 3 years 6 months 
			 Brixton John Podmore 4 years 0 months 
			 Brockhill Barbara Treen 2 years 6 months 
			 Buckley Hall Sue Morrison 2 years 7 months 
			 Bullingdon Sue Saunders 2 years 6 months 
			 Bullwood Hall Mukhtar Poselay 0 years 1 months 
			 Camp Hill Bob Bennett 7 years 2 months 
			 Canterbury Helen Rinaldi 2 years 7 months 
			 Cardiff Paul Tidball 7 years 8 months 
			 Castington Matt Spencer 0 years 10 months 
			 Channings Wood Nick Evans 7 years 7 months 
			 Chelmsford Steve Rodford 1 years 3 months 
			 Coldingley Paul McDowell 0 years 10 months 
			 Cookham Wood Ed Tullett 0 years 11 months 
			 Dartmoor Claudia Sturt 1 years 4 months 
			 Deerbolt Alan Tallentire 1 years 11 months 
			 Dorchester Steve Holland 2 years 7 months 
			 Dover Val Whitecross 2 years 0 months 
			 Downview Peter Dawson 0 years 8 months 
			 Drake Hall John Huntingdon 1 years 3 months 
			 Durham Mike Newell 8 years 8 months 
			 East Sutton Park Robin Carter 5 years 9 months 
			 Eastwood Park Tim Beeston 5 years 6 months 
			 Edmund's Hill Norma King 0 years 1 months 
			 Elmley Chris Bartlett 4 years 6 months 
			 Erlestoke Clive Broom 1 years 1 months 
			 Everthorpe Amy Rice 1 years 7 months 
			 Exeter Ian Mulholland 2 years 9 months 
			 Featherstone Mike Bolton 4 years 6 months 
			 Feltham Andrew Cross 4 years 1 months 
			 Ford Fiona Radford 1 years 0 months 
			 Foston Hall Paddy Scriven 7 years 10 months 
			 Frankland Phil Copple 4 years 8 months 
			 Full Sutton Bob Mullen 6 years 2 months 
			 Garth Bob McColm 3 years 2 months 
			 Gartree Rannoch Daly 7 years 10 months 
			 Glen Parva Brian Edwards 2 years 9 months 
			 Gloucester David Chalmers 3 years 7 months 
			 Grendon Peter Bennett 4 years 2 months 
			 Guys Marsh Barry Greenberry 3 years 10 months 
			 Haslar Carole Draper 0 years 9 months 
			 Haverigg Sue McCullagh 1 years 8 months 
			 Hewell Grange Alison Gomme 5 years 7 months 
			 Highdown Sian West 5 years 0 months 
			 Highpoint Sue Doolan 4 years 4 months 
			 Hindley Jayne Blake 5 years 0 months 
			 Hollesley Bay Michael Wood 1 years 10 months 
			 Holloway Tony Hassall 3 years 0 months 
			 Holme House Mick Lees 7 years 8 months 
			 Hull Mark Read 4 years 4 months 
			 Huntercombe Elaine Jones 2 years 10 months 
			 Kingston John Robinson 4 years 7 months 
			 Kirkham Steve Lawrence 1 years 8 months 
			 Kirklevington Alan Richer 2 years 5 months 
			 Lancaster Castle Derek Harrison 1 years 1 months 
			 Lancaster Farms Terry Williams 1 years 5 months 
			 Latchmere House Terry Hinchliffe 6 years 4 months 
			 Leeds lan Blakeman 1 years 10 months 
			 Leicester Steve Turner 1 years 2 months 
			 Lewes Eoin McLennan-Murray 1 years 1 months 
			 Leyhill Richard Booty 5 years 4 months 
			 Lincoln Lynne Saunders 0 years 7 months 
			 Lindholme Martin Ward 3 years 7 months 
			 Littlehey Julia Morgan 3 years 10 months 
			 Liverpool Cathy James 4 years 11 months 
			 Long Lartin Nick Leader 3 years 3 months 
			 Low Newton Dave Thompson 3 years 1 months 
			 Maidstone Jane Galbally 6 years 4 months 
			 Manchester Chris Sheffield 5 years 7 months 
			 Moorland Jacqui Tilley 1 years 11 months 
			 Morton Hall Damian Evans 0 years 5 months 
			 New Hall Sara Snell 3 years 10 months 
			 North Sea Camp K Beaumont Suspended 6 years 4 months 
			 Northallerton Bill Shaw 3 years 0 months 
			 Norwich Jerry Knight 6 years 0 months 
			 Nottingham Wendy Sinclair-Gieben 0 years 1 months 
			 Onley Alison Perry 0 years 7 months 
			 Parkhurst Steve Metcalf 4 years 2 months 
			 Pentonville Gareth Davies 10 years 1 months 
			 Portland Steve Twinn 1 years 9 months 
			 Preston Alan Brown 2 years 4 months 
			 Ranby Phil Wragg 2 years 4 months 
			 Reading Pauline Bryant 0 years 6 months 
			 Risley Paul Norbury 3 years 10 months 
			 Rochester Stephen O'Connell 0 years 2 months 
			 Send Brian Ritchie 1 years 10 months 
			 Shepton Mallet Bryan McAlley Suspended (Suzy Dymond-White temp gov.) 3 years 6 months 
			 Shrewsbury Vacant/advertised — 
			 Stafford Louise Taylor 4 years 4 months 
			 Standford Hill John Wilson 1 years 0 months 
			 Stocken Moira Barlett 1 years 2 months 
			 Stoke Heath Peter Small 0 years 10 months 
			 Styal Steve Hall 0 years 9 months 
			 Sudbury Chris Davidson 6 years 2 months 
			 Swaleside Tony Robson 5 years 5 months 
			 Swansea Phil Taylor 1 years 9 months 
			 Swinfen Hall Peter Knapton 2 years 4 months 
			 The Mount Paul Wailen 8 years 0 months 
			 The Verne Mike Cook 5 years 5 months 
			 Thorn Cross Clive Chatterton 0 years 3 months 
			 Usk/Prescoed Phil Morgan 1 years 6 months 
			 Wakefield John Slater 4 years 4 months 
			 Wandsworth Jim Heavens 5 years 3 months 
			 Warren Hill Stuart Robinson 4 years 5 months 
			 Wayland James Shanley 2 years 2 months 
			 Wealstun Steve Tilley 1 years 9 months 
			 Weare Denise Calvert 5 years 6 months 
			 Wellingborough Jim Lewis 2 years 1 months 
			 Werrington Frank Flynn 1 years 10 months 
			 Wetherby Paul Foweather 0 years 9 months 
			 Whatton Viv Hart 5 years 11 months 
			 Whitemoor Martin Lomas 1 years 6 months 
			 Winchester Cathy Allison 3 years 2 months 
			 Woodhill Edd Willetts 4 years 7 months 
			 Wormwood Scrubs Luke Serjeant 4 years 1 months 
			 Wymott Alan Scott 5 years 6 months

Prisons

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  by how much the Prison Service's budget has changed in 2004–05; and what the planned budget is for each of the next three years;
	(2)  what changes have been made to the operational budgets of prisons in 2004–05; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The original budget allocation to the Public Prison Service for 2004–05 was as follows:
	Resource costs budget—£2,202.7 million
	Capital budget—£205.9 million
	Changes from the original allocations were made during the year. Additional funding from the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) for immigration detainees held at Dover and Haslar, and End Year Flexibility for resource funding (£7 million) and capital funding (£65 million) increased the budget.
	
		Persons aged 10 and under 18 proceeded against at magistrates' courts for certain alcohol related offences, by London borough 1990 to 2003(14)
		
			 Offence/London borough 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 
		
		
			 Drunk in a highway or other public place, whether a building or not, or on a licensed premises
			 Inner London magistrates' courts(15)
			 
			 City of London Police
			 Guildhall Justice Rooms — — — — — — — 
			 
			 Metropolitan Police
			 Bow Street(16) — — 1 — — — — 
			 Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge  2 — — — — — 
			 Greenwich and Woolwich — — 1 — — — — 
			 Highbury Corner(17) 1 — — — — — — 
			 Horseferry Road — — 1 — — — — 
			 Marylebone — — — — — — — 
			 South Western — — — — — — — 
			 Thames — — — — — — — 
			 West London 3 — — — — — — 
			 Inner London Juvenile Courts(18) 4 — 1 — — — 1 
			 
			 Outer London Boroughs
			 Metropolitan Police
			 Barking and Dagenham — — — — — — — 
			 Barnet — — — — — — — 
			 Bexley — — — — —— — — 
			 Brent — — 1 — 1 — — 
			 Bromley — — 1 — — — — 
			 Croydon — — 1 — — — — 
			 Ealing — — — — — — — 
			 Enfield — — — — — — — 
			 Haringey — — — — — — — 
			 Harrow — — — — — — — 
			 Havering — — — — — — — 
			 Hillingdon — — 1 — — — — 
			 Hounslow 1 — — — 1 — 1 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 2 — — 1 — — — 
			 Merton — — — — — — — 
			 Newham — — — — 1 — — 
			 Redbridge — — — — — — — 
			 Richmond upon Thames — — — — — — — 
			 Sutton — — — — — — — 
			 Waltham Forest — — — — — — — 
			 Total Metropolitan Police 3 — 4 1 3 - 1 
			 Total Greater London 11 2 8 1 3 - 2 
		
	
	
		
			 Offence/London borough 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Drunk in a highway or other public place, whether a building or not, or on a licensed premises
			 Inner London magistrates' courts(15)
			   
			 City of London Police
			 Guildhall Justice Rooms — — — — — — — 
			 
			 Metropolitan Police
			 Bow Street(16) — — — — — — — 
			 Camberwell Green/Tower Bridge — — — 3 — 1 — 
			 Greenwich and Woolwich — — — — — — — 
			 Highbury Corner(17) — — — — — — — 
			 Horseferry Road — — — — — — — 
			 Marylebone — — — — — — — 
			 South Western — — — — — — — 
			 Thames — — — — — — — 
			 West London — 1 1 2 1 — 1 
			 Inner London Juvenile Courts(18) — — — — — — — 
			 
			 Outer London Boroughs
			 Metropolitan Police
			 Barking and Dagenham — — — — 2 — — 
			 Barnet — — — — — — — 
			 Bexley — — — — 1 — 3 
			 Brent — — — — — — — 
			 Bromley — — — — 1 — — 
			 Croydon — — — — 1 — — 
			 Ealing 1 — — — — — — 
			 Enfield — — — — — — — 
			 Haringey — — — — — 1 — 
			 Harrow — — — — — — — 
			 Havering — — — — 1 1 — 
			 Hillingdon — — — 1 — — — 
			 Hounslow — — — 1 1 — — 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames — 1 — — — — — 
			 Merton — — — 1 2 — — 
			 Newham — — — — — — — 
			 Redbridge — — — — — — — 
			 Richmond upon Thames — — 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Sutton 1 — — 1 — 1 1 
			 Waltham Forest — — — — — — — 
			 Total Metropolitan Police 2 1 1 5 10 4 5 
			 Total Greater London 2 2 2 10 11 5 6 
		
	
	(14)These data are on the principal offence basis.
	(15)Information held centrally does not allow a breakdown of cases by borough in the Inner London Area.
	(16)Includes Marlborough Street 1997–99.
	(17)Includes Clerkenwell and Hampstead, 1997–98.
	(18)Cases included with adult courts from 1998 (from 1999 for cases heard at the Crown Court).
	
		Number of penalty notices for disorder issued in London(19) for offences relating to alcohol—2004 (provisional figures)
		
			  Offence  Statute Number of notices issued 
		
		
			 Offences committed by juveniles aged 16 and 17 years 
			 Drunk and disorderly Criminal Justice Act 1967 Sec 91 22 
			 Being drunk in a highway, other public place or licensed premises Licensing Act 1872 Sec 12 2 
			 Consumption of alcohol in designated public place Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 Sec 12 — 
			 Consumption of alcohol by under 18 in licensed premises(20) Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169E(1) — 
			
			 Offences involving the purchase for, sale or delivery to, persons aged under 18 years 
			 Sell alcohol to person under 18(20) Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169A 5 
			 Purchase of alcohol in licensed premises for person under 18(20) Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169C(2) — 
			 Purchase of alcohol for consumption in bar of licensed premises for person under 18 Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169C(3) 2 
			 Allowing consumption of alcohol by under 18 in bar of licensed premises(20) Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169E(2) — 
			 Delivery of alcohol to person under 18 or allowing delivery(20) Licensing Act 1964 Sec 169F 3 
		
	
	(19)City of London and Metropolitan Police Force areas.
	(20)Offence added to PND scheme only from 1 November 2004.
	This will result in a final budget of:
	Resource costs budget—£2214.3 million
	Capital budget—£288.9 million
	The baseline budget for 2005–06 is:
	Resource costs budget—£2406 million
	Capital budget—£182 million
	Budgets for 2006–07 and 2007–08 have not yet been finalised.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of family visits to prisoners on prisoners' prospects of (a) accommodation and (b) employment on release; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Resettlement outcomes on release from prison in 2003" report was published on the Home Office website on 24 February 2005.
	The findings indicate that good family ties, as measured by the fact of at least one family or partner visit during custody, were strongly associated with prisoners having positive expectations of accommodation and employment arranged prior to release.

Prisons

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the ratio of mental health professionals in the penal system to prisoners is.

Paul Goggins: It would not be practicable to attempt any such estimate. Prisoners with mental health problems will be treated by a wide range of mental health professionals from a variety of service providers. We have met and exceeded the commitment in the national health service plan that by 2004 300 additional staff would be employed to provide mental health services in prisons.

Prisons

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average salaries of prison officers in (a) public and (b) private prisons were on the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  what comparison he has made of terms and conditions of staff in public and private prisons.

Paul Goggins: The latest figures available for the average salary of a prison officer employed in the England and Wales Prison Service are for January 2005. Excluding allowances this is £23,307 for a prison officer, £27,380 for a senior officer and £29,508 for a principal officer.
	The Prison Service Pay Review Body provided a comparison of the terms and conditions of staff in public and private prisons as part of its September 2004 analysis of Prison Service pay. The results are as follows.
	
		
			   Prison officer Prison custody officer 
		
		
			 Average starting pay (£) 16,896 (21)16,076 
			 Average basic pay (£) 23,307 17,148 
			 Pay range (£) (22)16,896–25,788 (23)16,076 
			 Average working week (hours) 39 41 
		
	
	(21)After training.
	(22)Normal scale ends at £24,868. Staff can then receive long service awards taking them to £25,285 and £25,788 after a further four and six years respectively.
	(23)Maximum of range not available.
	A prison officer is an officer who works for the public sector prison service. A prison custody officer works for a contracted out prison.

Prisons

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison staff have taken sick leave for (a) two to four consecutive weeks, (b) one to two consecutive months, (c) two to four consecutive months and (d) more than four consecutive months in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: The information is provided in the following tables for each year since 1999–2000 for the public sector Prison Service. Reliable data on sickness absence is not held centrally for periods prior to 1999 and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Data is not available in respect of contracted out prisons. Since 1999, the Prison Service has improved significantly the recording of sickness absence data on corporate systems and is now satisfied that recording arrangements are robust. However, the following data for the earlier years may understate the actual position at the time.
	
		(a) Staff with two to four consecutive weeks absence
		
			  Cases Percentage of total cases 
		
		
			 1999–2000 3,599 6.4 
			 2000–01 4,121 6.6 
			 2001–02 4,722 7.8 
			 2002–03 4,856 6.9 
			 2003–04 5,044 7.5 
		
	
	
		(b) Staff with one to two consecutive months absence
		
			  Cases Percentage of total cases 
		
		
			 1999–2000 2,150 3.8 
			 2000–01 2,567 4.1 
			 2001–02 3,100 5.1 
			 2002–03 3,325 4.8 
			 2003–04 3,235 4.8 
		
	
	
		(c) Staff with two to four consecutive months absence
		
			  Cases Percentage of total cases 
		
		
			 1999–2000 1,340 2.4 
			 2000–01 1,605 2.6 
			 2001–02 1,879 3.1 
			 2002–03 2,046 2.9 
			 2003–04 2,172 3.2 
		
	
	
		(d) Staff with more than four consecutive months absence
		
			  Cases Percentage of total cases 
		
		
			 1999–2000 975 1.7 
			 2000–01 1,551 2.5 
			 2001–02 1,979 3.3 
			 2002–03 2,143 3.1 
			 2003–04 1,959 2.9 
		
	
	Note:
	Two to four weeks has been defined as 14–28 calendar days inclusive; One to two months as 29–60 calendar days inclusive; Two to four months as 61–120 days inclusive; more than four months as greater than 120 calendar days.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures the Government have introduced to combat drug use in prisons.

Paul Goggins: The prison elements of the National Offender Management Service Drug Strategy provides a comprehensive framework to reduce the amount of illegal drugs in prisons. Passive drug dogs are used to detect traces of drugs on visitors, and other dogs are used actively to search for drugs within prisons, as part of a general drug search strategy. Closed circuit television systems are installed in all visits areas to monitor behaviour, and fixed and low-level furniture is used in visits areas to make it difficult to pass drugs undetected. Sanctions are taken against visitors suspected of smuggling drugs, including visit bans and closed visits. Where there is adequate evidence they are prosecuted. Prisons and police share intelligence about drug routes into prisons.
	Each month a random sample of the prisoners in each prison (5 per cent. or 10 per cent. depending on the size of the prison) is required to submit to a drug test, and a positive test result will lead to disciplinary proceedings. All establishments use and contribute to a drug supply reduction good practice guide and a monthly security bulletin, both of which share information on ways of protecting against drugs.
	Prisons work with the Police Scientific Development Branch to strengthen physical and technical barriers, particularly in prisons, such as those in city centres, where public spaces are close to perimeter walls. Prisons have a Professional Standards Unit to help identify staff who may be involved in or at risk of corruption. It will provide relevant information to facilitate investigations.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the re-offending rates for (a) individuals who participated in rehabilitation programmes and (b) individuals who did not participate in rehabilitation programmes during their time in prison have been in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: Reconviction rates for adults and juveniles are published on an annual basis, to assist withthe measurement of the PSA target on reducing reconvictions. Information on reconviction rates from rehabilitation programmes undertaken in prison are not recorded centrally, so it is not possible to calculate reconviction rates separately for these offenders.
	Although reconviction rates for those who participated in rehabilitation programmes are not available on a yearly basis, evaluations of rehabilitation programmes for prisoners are and have been regularly undertaken. The results of those that have been completed can be found in Home Office Research Study 291, which reviews the evidence on the impact of corrections on re-offending.
	The most recent national figures for reconviction rates are published as on line reports RDS OLR 08/05—Juvenile reconviction: results from the 2003 cohort (February 2005) and RDS OLR 59/04—Adult reconviction: results from the 2001 cohort (December 2004).

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what rehabilitation programmes are available in prisons.

Paul Goggins: In addition there are other activities in prison which support rehabilitation and address prisoners' resettlement needs, including learning and skills, prison work, pre-release programmes, housing advice and support services, Jobcentre Plus employment surgeries and job search training and support.
	Rehabilitation programmes, accredited by the Correctional Services Accreditation Panel, available in prisons include general offending behaviour programmes such as Enhanced Thinking Skills (ETS) and Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it (CALM), sex offender treatment programmes, a range of drug treatment programmes and therapeutic communities.

Prisons

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether prisons are subject to Crown immunity for trading standards; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: Trading standards covers an extremely wide area of law and involves statutes dealing with matters such as weights and measures, consumer credit and sale of goods. An answer dealing with Crown immunity under all these statutes would cause disproportionate costs to be incurred.

Prisons

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether US-based firms have been approached by (a) the Government and (b) its executive agency with regard to the contracting-out of (i) prison and (ii) probation services.

Paul Goggins: Three US-based firms were invited to a National Offender Management Service (NOMS) conference for private sector companies on 8 December 2004. It is open to them, and any other private sector companies that meet the operational specification, to bid for a contract in any future NOMS competitions.

Pub Watch/Shop Watch (Workington)

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the (a) pub watch and (b) shop watch scheme in Workington; and what measures he plans to take to strengthen each scheme.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 7 March 2005
	Examples of partnership working, such as the pub and shop watch schemes in Workington, can contribute significantly to reducing levels of retail crime as well as combating alcohol-related violence and disorder.
	The Government are working with the British Retail Consortium to increase the number and effectiveness of such partnerships, and has provided £899,000 to the Action against Business Crime (AABC) group to form a national association and set up 100 new business crime partnerships.
	The North West regional manager for AABC has identified Workington as a strong scheme and a priority area for development. AABC are meeting with the Workington Town Centre Manager, alongside those from neighbouring towns, to encourage and assist the towns to achieve the Safer Business Award which will help identify Workington as a safer town centre and a successful, well run partnership.
	Pub watches, like the one in Workington, can particularly help to keep troublemakers from pubs and clubs as well as providing early warning to bar staff, door staff and the police of instances of possible disorder. The Government welcome the contribution that pub watches can make to tackling alcohol-related violence and disorder.

Rail Warrants (Disciplinary Procedures)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of (a) the police service and (b) the Prison Service were (i) disciplined and (ii) dismissed for misuse of rail warrants in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: Information concerning the number of members of both the police service and Prison Service that have been disciplined and dismissed for misuse of rail warrants in each of the last five years is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Restorative Justice

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to introduce measures to increase levels of victim participation in restorative justice.

Paul Goggins: The Government aim to promote the further use of restorative justice (RJ) in the adult criminal justice system, particularly as a service to victims. We know from research evidence that over 75 per cent. of victims who choose to participate are glad to have done so. On 16 March, we will issue RJ implementation guidance for Local Criminal Justice Boards and their constituent agencies, encouraging them to develop provision of restorative justice at local level, particularly as a service to victims. The implementation guidance will also include advice to local agencies about publicity and communications about RJ, so that more victims are aware of what it is and what is available to them locally.
	We believe that the best way to encourage victim participation is through high quality, victim-sensitive provision of RJ services, and appropriate locally based communication about what is available for them.
	In the youth justice system, RJ has been available Since l998. Youth offending teams reported that during 2003–04 over 16,000 victims were consulted or participated in restorative processes and over 90 per cent. expressed satisfaction. The Youth Justice Board has a target for youth offending teams that by 2005, 75 per cent. of victims of all youth crime will be offered the opportunity to participate in a restorative process and 75 per cent. of victims participating should be satisfied. The provisional figure for victim participation between April and December last year is 80.1 per cent.

Rough Sleepers

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions he has put in place to dissuade rough sleepers from sleeping on the street; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are committed to tackling all forms of homelessness and part of our approach to this has been focussed on developing measures to prevent rough sleepers from hitting the streets in the first place and to provide targeted help for those who are out on the streets.
	We have successfully reduced the number of rough sleepers by 70 per cent. since 1998 and we are continuing to sustain this reduction. All local authorities had to appoint a rough sleepers' co-ordinator and we continue to work closely with local authorities to monitor their progress on their homelessness strategies and to offer them advice and support to prevent people from becoming homeless.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has produced a range of good practice material guidance and advice notes for local authorities, housing associations and other agencies on effective ways to tackle homelessness.
	We are making around £60 million available in 2005–06, rising to £74 million in 2007–08, to help local authorities and voluntary organisations take action on homelessness prevention. In addition, we are investing £90 million in capital works over the next four years to bring older hostels up to 21st century standards so that they provide better opportunities for homeless people and prevent them from becoming homeless again. This will help sustain reductions in rough sleeping and go further in tackling single homelessness.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is working closely with the Home Office in the delivery of the Reducing Reoffending National Action Plan. A number of developments are under way to ensure that all prisoners receive a housing needs assessment through custody and into the community. In addition the Prison Service will be introducing a shadow Key Performance Target in April 2005 to measure the housing need assessment at induction. Data will also be collected showing where prisoners at risk of homelessness will be returning to, so that housing authorities and advice agencies can plan services and support.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is also working with the Home Office's Active Communities Unit and the voluntary sector to develop a new approach to capacity building and infrastructure support for the homelessness sector. The Change-Up programme will be providing additional funding of £650,000 to improve refuge provision for the victims of domestic violence and to strengthen the voluntary sector by improving leadership, information exchange and best practice, create regional and sub-regional support arrangements and develop practical support for smaller, harder to reach, frontline agencies.

Sexual Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of individuals under the age of 18 years who were sexually abused in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: In the recorded crime series there are four sexual offences where, by definition, the victim is a child. The available statistics for the last two years are given in the table. It is not possible to identify the age of the victim for other offences within the sexual offences group.
	
		Recorded sexual offences against children in England and Wales -- Number of offences
		
			 Offence 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 184 212 
			 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 1,515 1,907 
			 Gross indecency with a child 1,880 1,942 
			 Abuse of position of trust 678 792

Special Constables

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make further funding available to chief constables to finance allowances under the Special Constables (Amendment) Regulations 2002 to assist schemes aimed at the recruitment and retention of special constables; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of local schemes introduced under the Special Constables (Amendment) Regulations 2002 to assess the effect of payment on recruitment and retention of special constables;
	(3)  how many police authorities have applied to his Department for approval to introduce an allowance for special constables under the Special Constables (Amendment) Regulations 2002; how many his Department has (a) approved and (b) refused; and what measures have been taken to monitor the scheme;
	(4)  if he will discuss with the Chancellor of the Exchequer exempting special constables from income tax being levied on allowances paid under the Special Constables (Amendment) Regulations 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: All schemes approved under the Special Constables (Amendment) Regulations 2002 are locally funded. It is for the police authority, following a recommendation by the chief constable, to decide whether an allowance scheme for specials offers value for money. To date, five forces—Cumbria, West Midlands, Humberside, Thames Valley and Durham—have put forward proposals for allowance schemes for specials. All the applications were approved. The schemes in West Midlands and Thames Valley operate in one basic command unit only. The Cumbria scheme has been discontinued at the request of the force in the light of evaluation results. The remaining schemes are subject to ongoing evaluation by forces.
	There are no plans to exempt allowances paid to specials from current tax regulations.

Support and Rehabilitation (Women)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what gender-specific community programmes seeking to create local support and rehabilitation centres for women are supported by his Department;
	(2)  what community programmes his Department funds that provide support and rehabilitation centres for women.

Paul Goggins: The Women's Offending Reduction Programme, published on 11 March 2004, is focused on women's offending and aims to reduce the number of women in prison. The programme will improve community based services and ensure they are better tailored to meet women's needs.
	The programme contains a commitment to develop a community based one-stop-shop approach to tackling the different factors which impact on women's offending. We are attracted to the idea of having local community supervision and support centres for women where they can access a whole range of interventions and services to meet their needs, including housing, child care, mental health, substance misuse, histories of abuse, employment and training. Following the announcement of funding in the 2004 Spending Review, we are considering how this will be used to develop radical new approaches for women offenders and provide community interventions and support specific to women's needs.

Tampere Agenda

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has held to take forward the EU's Tampere Agenda.

Caroline Flint: The Home Secretary and other UK Ministers have had discussions with the current and future Presidencies of the ED, and Vice-President Frattini, to plan the delivery of the inherited JHA programme. The successor to the Tampere Programme, The Hague Programme, was agreed by Heads of State at the European Council in November 2005. The European Commission are in the process of producing an Action Plan to implement The Hague Programme, informed by discussions at the informal meeting of EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers, in Luxembourg in January.

Under-age Driving

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken to communicate with the parents of a child who is convicted of driving a motor vehicle when under age.

Paul Goggins: When a young person is initially charged with an offence, issues relating to contacting the parents will be dealt with by the police. If the young person is summonsed to appear in court the parent(s) will be asked to attend.
	If a young person is convicted of driving a motor vehicle while under age the Youth Offending Team (YOT) would attempt to contact the parents, as involvement with family is critical to any intervention. Youth Offending Teams include representatives from a wide range of services and aim for a comprehensive response following assessment. Parents with a child who has become involved with the youth justice system may be invited to attend a voluntary YOT parenting programme. If voluntary participation cannot be achieved the YOT may seek a parenting order which requires attendance.

Xenotransplantation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to review Huntingdon Life Sciences' Certificate of Designation following his Chief Inspector's compliance review; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: In common with all establishments designated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, Huntingdon Life Sciences is subject to scrutiny by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate. The inspection schedule takes into account the size of the establishment, the nature of the work undertaken, and the management practices. Inspectors make frequent, usually unannounced, visits of inspection to Huntingdon Life Sciences, as they do to all other designated establishments, to monitor compliance with its certificate and licence conditions under the 1986 Act.
	In addition aspects of compliance were formally reviewed by the then Chief Inspector in 1997 and 2001 following allegations made by animal protection organisations. As a result of the 1997 review, notice was given that the Certificate was to be revoked, and that a new application would be considered only if 16 pre-conditions were met to remedy the problems uncovered. A fresh application was subsequently received, with evidence the 16 pre-conditions had been met, and a new Certificate granted. The 2001 compliance review revealed no new management failings related to the Certificate of Designation.
	Conditions of issue attached to all Certificates are periodically reviewed. This was last done as regards Huntingdon Life Sciences in October 2004.

Young Offenders

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young offenders from London are located in prison establishments more than (a) 50 miles and (b) 100 miles from the city; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: As at 25 February 2004, the latest date for which information is available, the distance away from home that young offenders were held from London, was as set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Distance Number of young offenders 
		
		
			 Under 50 miles  
			 Total number of prisoners 1,120 
			   
			 50 to 100 miles  
			 Total number of prisoners 192 
			   
			 100 plus miles  
			 Total number of prisoners 299 
			 Total 1,600 
		
	
	Note:
	Where an individual prisoner's home address is not recorded the prisoner's committal, remand, convicting or sentencing court is used.

Youth Inclusion Projects

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Youth Inclusion Programmes in reducing anti-social behaviour;
	(2)  what plans the Government have to increase the number of youth inclusion projects.

Hazel Blears: The overall aim of the Youth Inclusion Programme is to reduce crime in the 72 neighbourhoods in England and Wales in which the programme runs. Each scheme targets the 50 young people, aged 13 to 16, who are most at risk of criminality in the local area. Programme objectives include reducing arrest rates amongst the target group and helping them to engage in suitable full-time education, training or employment.
	An independent evaluation of the Youth Inclusion Programme in 2003 showed that overall arrest rates were reduced by 64 per cent. We have not undertaken a separate assessment of the programme's impact on anti-social behaviour, but we do consider that this is likely to be one of the additional benefits.
	The Home Office five-year strategic plan includes a commitment to increase the number of Youth Inclusion Programmes by 50 per cent. by 2008.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Arms Exports (Indonesia)

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2005,Official Report, column 627W on Arms Exports (Indonesia), what the estimated cost to the Government of rescheduling Indonesia's debts is.

Douglas Alexander: The rescheduling of Indonesia's debt has not resulted in a cost to the Exchequer; as it has not reduced the value of Indonesia's debt.

Biomass Power Plants

Richard Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many biomass power plants have been built in England under the Renewables Obligation Order 2002.

Mike O'Brien: The number of new bio-energy power stations commissioned in England since 2002 and accredited by Ofgem to receive Renewable Obligation Certificates is four. They are:
	
		
			 Station Commissioned 
		
		
			 Peabody Trust, Surrey 1 May 2002 
			 Thornton Power Station, Lancashire 1 June 2002 
			 Weston Industrial Estate, Worcestershire 1 May 2002 
			 Holsworthy Biogas, Devon 1 April 2002 
		
	
	This listing does not include those stations holding ROC's under the co-firing provisions of the Renewables Obligation, or those currently under construction.

China

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effect on the UK defence industry of the proposed lifting of the EU embargo on sales of arms to China.

Geoff Hoon: I have been asked to reply.
	In terms of the direct impact on UK defence industry, lifting the EU arms embargo should not lead to an increase in arms exports to China. There are however concerns about the possible indirect consequences for UK defence industry if action were taken in the US in response to a lifting of the embargo. We do not consider that such action—which would be damaging to both countries' interests—would be justified. We continue to work with the US to achieve a satisfactory conclusion. I am in regular contact with my ministerial colleagues on this issue.

China

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government is taking to assist the People's Republic of China in tackling the trade in illegal cigarettes.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	UK and Chinese Customs cooperate in a wide range of areas to tackle the trade of illegal cigarettes. Recent examples include:
	training Hong Kong and Chinese delegations to assist in identifying suspect containers for interception and examination;
	sharing information about seizures of cigarettes of Chinese origin in Europe for further investigation;
	posting officers to act as liaison between the two countries; and
	assisting and supporting the Chinese authorities in a regional initiative to tackle the illegal cigarette trade.
	Further to my right hon. Friend the Chancellor's visit to China on 21–23 February 2005, UK and China Customs are currently finalising an agreement to maximise this co-operation and the successful effort against illicit cigarette trafficking and manufacture.

Competitive Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outcome was of the Competitiveness Council on 7 March; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My noble Friend the Minister for Science and Innovation attended the Competitiveness Council on 7 March.
	The Council held a discussion of the Lisbon mid-term review based on the Commission's Communication to the Spring European Council. The Commission called on member states to work together for growth and employment to contribute to the EU's longer term sustainable development, and for concrete action to implement economic reform. The UK said the Competitiveness Council should focus on delivering practical outcomes in the key areas of Better Regulation, Chemicals (REACH), Services and the 7th Framework Programme on Research and Development (FP7). The Council adopted its contribution to the Spring European Council, which included particular reference to encouraging growth and innovation, making Europe more attractive to investment, developing and deepening the Internal Market and ensuring an integrated approach to competitiveness.
	The Council held an exchange of views on Better Regulation and the Simplification process, which are seen as key elements in the Lisbon agenda and increasing competitiveness. The Council noted the Commission's intention to improve impact assessments on the competitiveness implications of new legislative and policy measures. The Commission is to analyse a number of key sectors in 2005 to identify obstacles to growth and innovation. The UK welcomed the Commission's renewed commitment in this area and underlined the importance of the Better Regulation agenda.
	The Council had an exchange of views on stimulating entrepreneurship, based on the Commission's 5th Annual Report on the Implementation of the European Charter for Small Enterprises. The Council recognised the role of the Charter in reinforcing SME policy and will continue to follow its progress, taking into account the Lisbon mid-term review.
	The Council took note of information from the Commission on the current stage of negotiations concerning the future construction of an International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The Council will return to this issue during its next meeting, on 18 April 2005.
	The Council had an informal discussion of the proposed Services Directive over lunch.
	The Council took note of an update from the Presidency on Working Group discussion of REACH (proposal for a Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals).
	The Council took note of information from the Presidency and Commission on the European Parliament's second reading of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive.
	The Council took note of written information from the Italian delegation and interventions from the Commission and a number of member states on difficulties encountered in the textiles, clothing and footwear sectors.
	The Council adopted without discussion its Common Position on Computer Implemented Inventions, confirming the political agreement reached last May. The UK voted in favour.

Correspondence

Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington, dated 22 November 2004, on behalf of a constituent Mr. Dave Bush, which was originally sent to the Lord Chancellor and forwarded to her Department.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 7 March 2005
	Iresponded to the letter from my right hon. Friend on 2 March. I have asked my office to send another copy of the letter to his office.

Dounreay Nuclear Power Station

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary State for Trade and Industry what steps have been taken by staff at the nuclear establishment at Dounreay to ensure that (a) the seabed of Sandside Bay and the surrounding area and (b) nearby beaches are clear of irradiated material.

Mike O'Brien: Environmental monitoring and the regulation of radioactive discharges are devolved matters for the Scottish Executive.
	However, UKAEA undertakes an extensive beach monitoring programme using sophisticated vehicular radiation detection systems. Since 1999, these systems have regularly monitored five local beaches: Sandside, Crosskirk, Brims, Scrabster and Thurso. These are situated between 3 km west (Sandside) and 13 km east (Thurso) of Dounreay. Reassurance surveys of Melvich beach, some 10 km west of Dounreay, have been carried out on two occasions and an extensive survey of Dunnet beach, approximately 23 km east of Dounreay, has now commenced. The foreshore at Dounreay is also monitored by the vehicular system.
	UKAEA have advised the department that:
	Radioactive particles have only been found on one public beach, Sandside (although on 2 March, the third day of a 60 day survey, a stone-like object emitting low levels of radioactivity was found at Dunnet Beach which has been taken to Dounreay for laboratory analysis). When a particle is detected it is immediately removed.
	The monitoring detects radioactivity down to a level in the top 10cm of sand that is below that considered by independent experts to be of significant risk to human health.
	The current monitoring has been demonstrated to be capable of being compliant with the regulatory requirements of SEPA.
	All particles detected during monitoring are removed and returned to Dounreay for analysis. The results are reported to regulators.
	UKAEA is currently investigating whether there are detection systems which are superior to those available at present for beach monitoring.
	In the case of particles buried in the seabed off Dounreay, UKAEA have undertaken an extensive series of research programmes aimed at understanding the distribution, mobility and properties of particles in the marine environment.
	Since 1997, divers have been mapping the number and distribution of particles in offshore sediments. As part of this work, the divers have detected and retrieved over 800 particles from the seabed off the coast at Dounreay.
	UKAEA is concerned about the inherent occupational risks associated with extensive use of divers. Consequently, UKAEA seeks to limit the use of divers and has developed with their contractor a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) capable of crawling the seabed and identifying the radiation emitted by particles present within the sediment. Last year, it mapped the locations of over 120 buried particles in survey areas totalling 30,000 sq. metres.
	A further 2 or 3 year programme of mapping of the offshore particles will commence in summer 2005 using a remotely operated system. The information from this work will be used to assess the extent of the particle distribution offshore, to validate a computer model of particle dispersion and to assess the risks to any of the local beaches.
	This information from offshore studies will be used, together with the information from beach monitoring, as inputs to the consultation process which will identify the Best Practicable Environmental Option for dealing with this legacy.

Dounreay Nuclear Power Station

Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will establish an inquiry into possible risks to human health from irradiated material found on Sandside Beach, Caithness and the conduct of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority in dealing with the material.

Mike O'Brien: Public health is a devolved matter for the Scottish Executive.
	However I am informed that in recent years, a number of independent expert organisations including the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE), the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee and the National Radiological Protection Board have investigated and advised the Government, UKAEA and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) on the potential health risks from particles of radioactive material found on Sandside Beach. This advice has considered both the likelihood of exposure to such a particle by inhalation, ingestion or skin contact and the resultant health risks should such an exposure occur. COMARE tells the DTI that the probability of a member of the public encountering a particle remains extremely small and the estimated radiation dose to an individual consequent upon ingestion of a typical particle from Sandside Bay is roughly equivalent to the average UK-annual background radiation dose (2milliSieverts). SEPA has commissioned additional research to further refine this latter estimate.

Energy Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the outcome was of the Energy Council meeting held on 28 to 29 November; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I refer to my previous answer to my hon. Friend.
	I represented the UK at the EU Energy Council in Brussels on 29 November.The Council considered several matters of interest to the United Kingdom. Chief among these were the Energy Services Directive and the Security of Electricity Supply Directive.
	A general approach on the Security of Electricity Supply Directive was agreed, though the Commission, which seeks a more interventionist regulator-led approach to promote actively new interconnector build and thereby competition, maintained a reserve on Article 7 on interconnector construction.
	Council conclusions were agreed on the Commission's Communication on the share of Renewable Energy in the EU.
	An orientation debate was held on the proposed Energy End Use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive. Member states expressed a strong preference for indicative not mandatory energy saving targets though views were mixed on whether a uniform target at EU level would be helpful; many delegations preferred individually set targets. There was general recognition that the public sector could play a leading role in promoting energy efficiency but the majority of member states opposed specific targets for the sector. On the question of the placing of obligations on suppliers there was a clear preference for a broader more flexible approach rather than a focus on one energy efficiency approach-energy services. There was broad agreement that a harmonised approach to measuring energy savings was needed, but there was a split on whether a top down or bottom up approach was best.
	The UK noted our support for a uniform, but indicative, six-year target taking account of already captured efficiency gains; a more broadly defined obligation on energy suppliers to actively offer and promote energy efficiency; and agreement with the Presidency proposal for either a top down or a hybrid approach to measuring efficiency gains.
	The Commission's preference for a mandatory target reflected what they saw as the poor record of achievement against indicative targets and they suggested that flexible mandatory targets might be the way forward. The Presidency concluded by proposing an annual debate on progress towards achieving indicative national targets, the first of which would fall to the UK Presidency, and looked forward to concluding the dossier in the Luxembourg Presidency.
	The Commission reported progress on the negotiations of the Energy Community for South East Europe Treaty, which it hoped would be a model for other sectors. Signature was foreseen for 2005. Some member states had substantive comments on the language regime, others on the distinction between participating and observing member states. The next negotiation meeting on 13 December will be an opportunity to discuss outstanding matters.
	The Commission reported on its communication on progress on the EU/Russia energy dialogue 2000–04, claiming it showed positive outcomes across a range of fields. More progress in Russia was needed on the reform process, energy efficiency and Kyoto implementation, promoting and protecting investment and positive developments in the gas and oil markets. The Commission undertook fully to involve member states.
	The Presidency concluded by noting, in the context of the recent Energy in Motion" conference aimed at improving cleaner road traffic, that transport accounted for a third of energy consumption. The conference conclusions would be discussed at the next Transport and Environment Councils and the Commission were urged to take account of them.
	Luxembourg finished by saying they would take forward the Dutch Presidency approaches and singled out Energy TENS as a priority dossier.

Equality Bill

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether it is the intention that the provisions of the Equality Bill should change the legal status of certain types of religious discrimination.

Patricia Hewitt: The Equality Bill, which was published on 3 March with its explanatory notes, will make unlawful (save for the exemptions specified in the Bill) discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in respect of the provision of goods, facilities and services, the management and disposal of premises, education, and public functions. The Bill does not affect the scope of the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, which already make unlawful discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief in respect of employment and vocational training. The definition of religion" and belief" for the purposes of these Regulations has been reformulated, but this does not have any material impact on the effect of the Regulations.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the EC-India RTD Co-operation Steering Committee met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The first meeting of the EC-India S&T steering committee with India took place in Brussels on 3 March 2004 and the second will take place in Delhi on 29 April 2005. These meetings are convened by the Commission and Member States are not invited to participate—UK officials do not therefore attend.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee for Implementation of the Action Programme to Promote Gender Equality met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The EU Committee for Implementation of the Action Programme to Promote Gender Equality meets twice a year in Brussels. The meetings do not necessarily tie in with the presidencies and the last three meetings were held on 11 November 2003 (during the Italian presidency), 20 July 2004 and 15 October 2004 (both of which were in the Dutch presidency). There was no meeting during the Irish presidency. A DTI representative attended all three of these meetings.

Gender Pay Gap

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the gender pay gap for full-time workers in her Department was in (a) 1997 and (b) 2004.

Patricia Hewitt: The difference between male and female salaries for the DTI as at 1 April 2004 was 16 per cent. 1 The earliest period for which I can give an accurate comparable figure is April 2001 when it was 18 per cent.
	The DTI has successfully taken measures to reduce the gender pay gap and continues to do so. In 2003 a new pay system was introduced as part of a 3 year proposal and includes transparent pay progression to a target rate for the job within a specified period of time. Moreover, there has been significant shortening of pay scales over the past two years and further action is planned this year.
	Diversity implications are considered as a matter of importance, and continuous promotion of flexible working practices and family friendly policies encourage women to join the DTI and to stay. The Department has also introduced a course Development for Women" which is specifically targeted at helping women develop their careers within DTI.
	1 median of full time equivalent salary for all staff working across the whole organisation

Generation IV Nuclear Reactors

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding she plans to allocate to the multilateral collaboration with France, Japan, Canada and the United States on research and development for Generation IV Nuclear Reactors; what mechanisms will apply to the administration of the funds; and whether the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will have a role in this research.

Mike O'Brien: DTI expects to provide funding of up to £5 million per annum for UK participation in international research collaborations on advanced nuclear reactor systems. The mechanisms for administering these funds are under development. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) does not have an interest in Generation IV research, except where that research relates to decommissioning plants in the future.

Housing

Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to publish proposals for the introduction of independent redress schemes for estate agents which are wider in scope than those contained in part V of the Housing Act 2004.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I am aware of my right hon. Friend's Private Members' Bill that would enable estate agents redress schemes, established by the Housing Act, to consider consumer complaints not connected to Home Information Packs, and also to extend their coverage to Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Government supports the aims of the Bill and is monitoring its progress with interest. If there is insufficient time for the Bill to succeed, the Government will seek a suitable legislative vehicle to extend the scope of redress schemes.

Hydrogen Economy

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent by her Department in each year since 1997 on research connected with the hydrogen economy.

Mike O'Brien: The information is in the table and indicates money spent by EPSRC on research specific to the hydrogen economy.
	
		
			 Financial year £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 30,347.73 
			 1998–99 135,531.12 
			 1999–2000 59,168.97 
			 2000–01 82,975.77 
			 2001–02 318,500.00 
			 2002–03 516,559.87 
			 2003–04 1,494,155.11 
			 2004–05 1,430,000.01

Nuclear Industry IT System

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what safety procedures are in place in relation to the nuclear industry's IT system.

Mike O'Brien: The UK's .civil nuclear industry does not share a common information technology system: the major companies in the industry each have their own main data network. These data networks have all been accredited to UK Government security standards.

Nuclear Waste

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is on the possible import of nuclear waste from Italy into the UK for disposal.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 13 January 2005
	It is not Government policy to import nuclear waste into the United Kingdom. Recent press reports have incorrectly claimed that waste from Italy may be exported to either France or the UK. Instead, it is understood that there is the possibility that some spent fuel from Italy may be reprocessed overseas but this has not been confirmed and no tenders have been issued.

Nuclear Waste

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make it her policy to prevent the import for disposal of nuclear waste until a solution has been agreed upon to deal with the existing United Kingdom nuclear waste stockpile.

Mike O'Brien: It is not Government policy to import nuclear waste into the UK. Following my statement on 13 December 2004, the small amount of Intermediate Level Waste which will be retained in the UK as a result of substitution (which provides for the return of an additional amount of radiologically equivalent High Level Waste to BNFL's overseas reprocessing customers) has no material implication for the long-term management of nuclear waste in the UK.

Pregnancy Discrimination

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the results of the Equal Opportunities Commission's formal investigation into pregnancy discrimination were.

Patricia Hewitt: The Equal Opportunities Commission is due to publish the final report and recommendations of its General Formal Investigation into pregnancy discrimination later this year. An Interim Report was published in September 2004 and can be obtained from the EOC website at
	http://www.eoc.org.uk/cseng/policyandcampaigns/ p_interimreport.pdf
	The Government welcome the EOC's investigation and look forward to receiving the final report and recommendations.

Solar Power

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans her Department has to ensure continuity of capital grant support for domestic and other small installations under stream 1 of the solar PV Major Demonstration Programme when current funding ends in August; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The DTI is monitoring the number of applications made under Stream 1 of the Major PV Demonstration Programme. When this programme ends in March 2006 the Department will continue its support for PV through a low carbon buildings" programme. The low carbon buildings programme is currently under development and there will be formal consultation on this this year. The programme is expected to being operating in 2006–07.

Women's Employment

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to assist black and ethnic minority women's (a) entry to and (b) progression in the workplace.

Patricia Hewitt: DTI is working with a cross-Whitehall group, led by the Department for Work and Pensions, to tackle the barriers to labour market participation faced by ethnic minorities. This work stems from the Strategy Unit Report Ethnic minorities in the Labour Market" published in March 2003. DTIs specific contribution is around working with business to promote race equality and diversity in the workplace and promoting enterprise.
	DTI also shares a Public Service Agreement in the three years to 2006, taking account of the economic cycle, to increase the employment rate and significantly reduce the difference between the overall employment rate and the employment rate of ethnic minorities". This will clearly benefit women as well as men.

Women's Employment

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the number of black and ethnic minority women who believe that they are working below their potential, with particular reference to black and ethnic minority women who (a) are working in jobs where they have less of a role in staff management or supervision than they did in previous jobs and (b) made more use of higher qualifications or higher skills levels in previous jobs; and what estimate she has made of the economic cost of black and ethnic minority women working below their potential in the latest year for which figures are available.

Patricia Hewitt: DTI is working with a cross-Whitehall group, led by the Department for Work and Pensions, to tackle the barriers to labour market participation faced by ethnic minorities. This work stems from the Strategy Unit Report Ethnic minorities in the Labour Market" published in March 2003. DTIs specific contribution is around working with business to promote race equality and diversity in the workplace and promoting enterprise.
	Through the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force we are committed to closing the employment gap for ethnic minorities. The employment gap is decreasing but remains substantial. Ethnic minorities are twice as likely to be unemployed and one and a half times as likely to be economically inactive as the overall working age population. Economic activity varies considerably between ethnic minority groups and by gender. The Indian and Black Caribbean ethnic groups have the highest employment rates and the Bangladeshi and Pakistani groups have the lowest. For most ethnic groups, the employment rate for women is well below that for men.
	The Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force Year 1 Progress Report was published in November 2004 and can be accessed at www.emetaskforce.gov.uk.

TREASURY

Alcohol-related Deaths

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for how many (a) women and (b) men alcohol was found to be the primary cause of death in each year since 1997, broken down by age group.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Amess, dated 14 March 2005
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking for how many (a) women and (b) men alcohol was found to be the primary cause of death in each year since 1997, broken down by age group. (221245)
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2003. The attached table shows the number of deaths by sex and age group that were certified as due to alcohol abuse, dependence and poisoning, and diseases directly related to alcohol use from 1997 to 2003.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) definition of alcohol-related deaths only includes those causes regarded as being most directly due to alcohol consumption. Apart from deaths due to accidental poisoning with alcohol, this definition excludes external causes of death, such as road traffic deaths and other accidents, and alcohol-related suicides and homicides. Estimates of the annual total number of deaths in which alcohol has played a role can therefore vary widely depending on the criteria used. The definition used by ONS allows for consistent comparisons over time for those deaths where a clear association with alcohol consumption can generally be assumed.
	
		Number of deaths from alcohol-related causes(24), for (a) women and (b) men by age group, England and Wales, 1997 to 2003(25)
		
			 Calendar year 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 (a) Women
			 Under 15 4 4 1 1 0 0 0 
			 15–44 283 307 381 373 351 397 412 
			 45–64 822 911 938 973 1,066 1,044 1,122 
			 65–84 682 687 661 684 677 695 691 
			 85 and over 68 57 72 57 76 82 74 
			 (b) Men
			 Under 15 3 1 1 1 0 1 1 
			 15–44 619 726 698 714 111 768 842 
			 45–64 1,572 1,694 1,852 1,954 2,066 2,040 2,380 
			 65–84 808 848 846 812 894 941 1,008 
			 85 and over 38 46 55 45 63 65 50 
		
	
	(24)For the years 1997–2000 the cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9). The codes selected to define alcohol-related deaths are listed as follows:
	291—Alcoholic psychoses
	303—Alcohol dependence syndrome
	305.0—Non-dependent abuse of alcohol
	425.5—Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
	571—Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis
	E860—Accidental poisoning by alcohol
	For the years 2001–2003 the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) was used. To maintain comparability with earlier years the following codes were selected:
	F10—Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
	142.6—Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
	K70—Alcoholic liver disease
	K73—Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified
	K74—Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver
	X45—Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol
	The selection of codes to define alcohol-related deaths is described in:
	Baker A. and Rooney C. (2003). Recent trends in alcohol-related mortality, and the impact of ICD-10 on the monitoring of these deaths in England and Wales. Health Statistics Quarterly 17, pp 5–14.
	(25)Data are for occurrences of death in each calendar year.

Censuses

John Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action was taken by Ministers in his Department to establish that the Registrar General had statutory authority to state that personal information from the 1981 and 1991 decennial population censuses for England and Wales would be retained in his Department for 100 years before being released.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. John Taylor, dated 14 March 2005
	As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what action was taken by Ministers to establish that the Registrar General had statutory authority to state that personal information from the 1981 and 1991 decennial population censuses for England and Wales would be retained for 100 years before being released. (221179)
	A Registrar General is empowered to conduct a census under the provisions of the Census Act 1920 as amended by the Census (Confidentiality) Act 1991. The protection of personal information is covered by Section 8(2), which makes provisions with respect to unlawful disclosure of information. Censuses from 1921 onwards have been taken under this Act and, as records which are retained in my custody, remain covered by these provisions. The necessary permission to retain these census records once they are over 30 years old has been granted by the Lord Chancellor under the provisions of Section 3(4) of the Public Records Act 1958, and has continued to be granted at periodic intervals.
	Particularly at the time of a census there is great public concern about confidentiality and the use to which personal census information is put, and it has been the practice to give strong declarations of strict confidentiality including on the front of the census form, to allay these concerns. At the time of the 1981 and the 1991 Censuses, there was legislation in force that closed Census records for a period of 100 years. This legislation was Instrument 12 dated 1966 made under the provision of Section 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958. The declarations however, did not specifically make reference to this legislation.
	In an attempt to simplify the confidentiality message on the front of the 1981 and the 1991 Census forms, the assurances, as worded, stated that the Registrar General had authority himself to retain the records for 100 years. This pledge asserts authority that the Registrar General does not have. As explained above the authority for the Registrar General to retain Census records rests with the Lord Chancellor. Notwithstanding this, the legal basis of access to, and confidentiality of, Census records was not affected. Assurances given on the 2001 Census form, however, more accurately referred to the relevant statutory authority as existed at the time.

Central Government Staffing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of central Government staffing levels on the level of taxation.

Paul Boateng: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 10 March 2005, Official Report, column 1949W, to the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess).

Departmental Accounts

Tony Baldry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether Ministers in his Department have issued written instructions to override his Department's accounting officer's objections since 1997.

Stephen Timms: No such directions have been issued by Treasury Ministers since 1997. The Treasury, which has a wider policy responsibility for the financial accountability mechanisms under which such directions are issued, has not been notified of any directions by Ministers in Departments to their Accounting Officers beyond those already disclosed to Parliament in the following written answers:
	The former Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Andrew Smith) on 23 October 2000, Official Report, columns 73–74W and 8 May 2002, Official Report, columns 253–54W; myself on 10 June 2002, Official Report, column 1037W; the Economic Secretary (John Healey) on 13 January 2003, Official Report, column412W and 23 June 2003, Official Report, columns 618–19W; and the former Financial Secretary (Ruth Kelly) on 30 October 2003, Official Report, columns 319–320W and 24 March 2004, Official Report, column 841W.
	The circumstances in which an Accounting Officer should seek a direction from a Minister before authorising expenditure are set out in paragraphs 15–18 of the Treasury document, The Responsibilities of an Accounting Officer" (as updated in March 2004). This document is published as Annex 4.1 of the Treasury guidance, Government Accounting and is accessible at www.government-accounting.gov.uk.

Dothiepin Deaths

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths have occurred in each of the last 10 years in which death certificates cited Dothiepin as a possible cause.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 14 March 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many deaths have occurred in each of the last 10 years in which death certificates cited dothiepin as a possible cause. (221628)
	Readily available figures relate to deaths where the underlying cause was drug poisoning. The most recently available information is for deaths in 2003. Figures are shown in the table below for the calendar years 1994 to 2003.
	
		Number of deaths from drug-related poisoning(26), involving dothiepin(27), England and Wales, 1994 to 2003(28)
		
			  Dothiepin 
		
		
			 1994 262 
			 1995 235 
			 1996 279 
			 1997 262 
			 1998 244 
			 1999 219 
			 2000 201 
			 2001 170 
			 2002 159 
			 2003 142 
		
	
	(26)Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 292, 304, 305.2–305.9, E850-E858, E950.0-E950.5, E962.0 and E980.0-E980.5 for 1993 to 2000, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes F11-F16, F18-F19, X40-X44, X60-X64, X85 and Y10-Y14from 2001 onwards.
	(27)Drugs mentioned on the death certificate of a death where the underlying cause was drug poisoning.
	(28)Data are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.
	Source:
	Tables of deaths related to drug poisoning on the National Statistics website at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=11695

Double Trust Schemes

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his proposals for excluding tax on the associated gifts made in double trust schemes.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to my ministerial statement of 8 March 2005, Official Report, column 103–04WS, outlining the relief we propose to allow against double tax charges on such schemes.

Employment

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people on average were in employment in each parliamentary constituency (a) in 1997 and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available, ranked according to the change over the period.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Hugh Bayley, dated 14 March 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about employment in each Parliamentary Constituency in UK. (221427)
	Since the information requested is so extensive, copies have been placed in the House of Commons Library. The information provided shows the estimates of the number of people in employment, in each Parliamentary Constituency of Great Britain in 1997 and 2004, ranked according to the greatest change in employment over the period. These estimates from the Labour Force Survey are, as with any sample survey, subject to sampling variability.
	Similar information for Parliamentary Constituencies in Northern Ireland is not available.

European Union

Ian Davidson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the (a) net and (b) gross contributions by the UK to the EU in each year since 1975, in pounds sterling at 2005 value; and if he will break down the contributions by (i) traditional own resources, (ii) VAT and (iii) GNI contributions.

Stephen Timms: A breakdown of contributions by category, including the UK abatement, in real prices, is published in the Government's Annual Reports on ECFinances, latest edition published in April 2004 (Cm6134). We do not have this information in constant prices, or going back to 1975.
	UK net contributions and gross contributions after abatement for the period 1975 to 2003 at 2003 prices, the latest information available, were:
	
		£ million, constant 2003 prices
		
			  Gross contribution after abatement  Net contribution 
		
		
			 1975 3,561 -583 
			 1976 4,076 1,470 
			 1977 5,577 2,792 
			 1978 8,846 5,394 
			 1979 8,961 5,284 
			 1980 7,967 3,370 
			 1981 6,446 1,728 
			 1982 7,329 2,408 
			 1983 7,889 2,353 
			 1984 9,084 2,227 
			 1985 11,520 5,609 
			 1986 8,063 1,652 
			 1987 10,626 4,516 
			 1988 8,332 3,202 
			 1989 9,490 4,958 
			 1990 9,204 4,891 
			 1991 6,219 1,023 
			 1992 8,761 3,661 
			 1993 9,346 3,698 
			 1994 8,842 3,578 
			 1995 11,777 6,158 
			 1996 9,705 3,391 
			 1997 8,506 2,171 
			 1998 11,174 5,896 
			 1999 8,678 4,435 
			 2000 9,769 4,856 
			 2001 5,337 1,538 
			 2002 6,687 3,310 
			 2003 7,407 3,682 
		
	
	Source:
	Current price figures for individual years published by HM Treasury converted to constant prices using latest HM Treasury GDP Deflators.

European Union

Ian Davidson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the UK's receipts from the EU for each year since 1975, in pounds sterling at 2005 value; and if he will break down the receipts by (a) Common Agricultural Policy, (b) structural measures and (c) internal policy spending.

Stephen Timms: A breakdown of receipts by category, in real prices, is published in the Government's Annual Reports on EC Finances, latest edition published in April 2004 (Cm 6134). We do not have this information in constant prices, or going back to 1975.
	UK receipts from the EC Budget for the period 1975 to 2003 at 2003 prices, the latest information available, were:
	
		£ million, constant 2003 prices
		
			  Public sector receipts 
		
		
			 1975 4,144 
			 1976 2,606 
			 1977 2,785 
			 1978 3,452 
			 1979 3,677 
			 1980 4,597 
			 1981 4,718 
			 1982 4,920 
			 1983 5,536 
			 1984 6,857 
			 1985 5,910 
			 1986 6,411 
			 1987 6,109 
			 1988 5,130 
			 1989 4,532 
			 1990 4,314 
			 1991 5,196 
			 1992 5,100 
			 1993 5,648 
			 1994 5,264 
			 1995 5,619 
			 1996 6,314 
			 1997 6,336 
			 1998 5,278 
			 1999 4,242 
			 2000 4,913 
			 2001 3,799 
			 2002 3,376 
			 2003 3,725 
		
	
	Source:
	Current price figures for individual years published by HM Treasury converted to constant prices using latest HM Treasury GDP Deflators

European Union

Ian Davidson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the operation of the UK budget rebate mechanism within the EU budget.

Stephen Timms: The European Commission Allocated Expenditure Report for 2003 (September 2004) indicates the UK's share of receipts by percentage GNI was the lowest of all member states. As a result of continued inefficiencies and inequalities on the expenditure side of the budget, and the resulting unfairness of the UK position the abatement remains fully justified and not up for negotiation.
	The operation of the abatement is explained on page 26 of European Community Finances: Statement on the 2004 EC Budget (Cm 6134), a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

Medical Drug Deaths

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths have occurred in each of the last 10 years in which death certificates cited as a possible cause (a) co-proxamol, (b) paracetamol, (c) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, (d) selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, (e) codeine, (d) Cox 11 inhibitors and (f) cerivastatin.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 14 March 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many deaths have occurred in each of the last 10 years in which death certificates cited as a possible cause (a) co-proxamol, (b) paracetamol, (c)non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, (d) selective seratonin re-uptake inhibitors, (e) codeine, (f) Cox-2 inhibitors, and (g)cerivastatin. (221368)
	Readily available figures relate to deaths where the underlying cause was drug poisoning. The most recently available information is for deaths in 2003. Figures are shown in the attached table for the calendar years 1994 to 2003.
	Figures on deaths where an adverse reaction to a drug taken in therapeutic dosage was involved, are not included in the table below as these are not poisonings. Figures on these deaths are not readily available and are known to be under-reported until the adverse reaction is well known. Adverse reactions to drugs are reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using the yellow card scheme.
	
		Number of deaths from drug-related poisoning , (29) involving selected drugs,2,3 England and Wales, 1994 to 2003(32)
		
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Paracetamol including compounds 543 616 566 669 610 559 551 545 463 466 
			 Paracetamol and dextropropoxyphene compound  formulation (a) 329 367 346 402 373 366 361 346 287 262 
			 Paracetamol not from compound formulation (b) 194 220 188 235 214 155 155 175 126 159 
			 NSAIDs (c) 58 56 6156 47 31 31 30 31 27  
			 Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (d) 5 23 18 23 28 38 55 60 49 81 
			 Paracetamol and codeine compound formulation (e) 17 20 20 26 17 31 25 22 32 41 
			 Codeine not from compound formulation (e) 16 13 20 26 24 26 27 32 30 33 
		
	
	(29)Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes 292, 304, 305.2–305.9, E850-E858, E950.0-E950.5, E962.0 andE980.0-E980.5 for 1993 to 2000, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (1CD-10) codes F11-F16, F18-F19, X40-X44, X60-X64, X85 and Y10-Y14from 2001 onwards.
	(30)Drugs mentioned on the death certificate of a death where the underlying cause was drug poisoning.
	(31)There were no deaths due to an overdose involving Cox-2 inhibitors or cerivastatin in the 10-year period.
	(32)Data are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.

Paper Currency

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average lifespan is of UK paper currency, broken down by denomination.

Stephen Timms: The life of a Bank of England banknote in normal circulation averages between 12 to 18 months for the £5; three to four years for the £10 and £20; and over five years for the £50.

Stakeholder Pensions

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what tax can be reclaimed by people aged (a) between 16 and 64, (b) between 65 and 74 and (c) over 75 years, when contributing to stakeholder pensions; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Tax relief is given on contributions to approved stakeholder pension schemes up to the higher of £3,600 a year or a percentage of capped earnings (the earnings cap for 2004–05 being £102,000). Earnings above this amount cannot be pensioned through a tax approved stakeholder pension scheme. Tax relief is given at the basic rate of tax (currently 22 per cent.) on tax relievable contributions paid by the scheme member. Where an individual is liable to tax at higher rate, additional relief of 18 per cent. may be obtained.
	The maximum tax relievable contributions, expressed as a percentage of capped earnings, depends on an individual's age on the 6 April of the tax year concerned.
	(a) For those under 36 it is 17.5 per cent.,
	(b) From 36 to 45 it is 20 per cent.,
	(c) From 46 to 50 it is 25 per cent.,
	(d) From 51 to 55 it is 30 per cent.,
	(e) From 56 to 60 it is 35 per cent., and
	(f) From 61 to 74 it is 40 per cent.
	No further contributions can be made once the member reaches the age of 75.

Stamp Duty

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2005, Official Report, column 1519W, on stamp duty, if he will estimate the revenue impact for the UK; for what reasons a reliable estimate cannot be made for countriesand regions of the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The cost of raising the stamp duty threshold for residential properties to £100,000, £120,000 and £150,000 in each of the next five years is estimated for the UK in the following table:
	
		
			 Threshold 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 
		
		
			 £100,000 150 140 130 130 130 
			 £120,000 270 260 240 260 230 
			 £150,000 480 460 450 520 480 
		
	
	Projections are based on the number and value of residential and commercial transactions, derived from the Survey of Property Transactions in England and Wales, projected to the required year, in line with the pre-Budget 2004 forecast for price and volume trends. By comparing UK stamp duty receipts with England and Wales survey estimates in historic years it is possible to derive projections for the UK. However forecast trends for price and volume are not produced for countries and regions of the UK to enable production of reliable stamp duty projections at the sub UK level.

Stamp Duty

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to review the qualifying areas for stamp duty relief in disadvantaged areas in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: We have no plans to change the qualifying areas for stamp duty land tax disadvantaged areas relief before the end of 2006.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  in how many cases where a TC846 has been returned requesting the Inland Revenue to reconsider its decision to recover tax credits had the earnings of one of the partners been omitted from the tax credit award in (a) 2003–04 and (b) the current tax year;
	(2)  in how many cases where a tax credit case has been calculated and paid out manually has the claimant been overpaid as a result of the computer system automatically sending out any arrears due.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested.

Unemployment (Wales)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what percentage of people were (a) long-term unemployed and (b) long-term youth unemployed in each constituency in Wales in each of the last 20 years.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 4 March 2005
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 14 March 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about long-term unemployment. (219894)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles statistics of unemployment from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation definitions. Tables 1 and 2 attached below, show, for those resident in each Parliamentary Constituency in Wales, the numbers and rates for long-term unemployment, and long-term youth unemployment. Long-term is classified as those unemployed for 12 months or more. The data are for the twelve-month periods ending from February 1999 to February 2004. Comparable information for earlier years is not available. As with any statistical sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling variability.
	ONS also compiles statistics of those claiming Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for local areas. For the years 1996 to 2004, Tables 3 and 4 show, respectively for all JSA claimants and those aged 18–24, the annual average numbers and percentages of claimants resident in each Parliamentary Constituency in Wales claiming for over 12 months. Comparable information for the years 1984 to 1995 is not available for Parliamentary Constituencies in Wales according to their present boundaries. Information for these years for the Constituencies, according to their boundaries as they were from 1984 to 1995, could be compiled, but only at disproportionate cost. The information needed to produce those estimates is accessible by the House of Commons Library via the Nomis system.
	Since the information in Tables 1 to 4 is so extensive, copies have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Africa (Departmental Groups)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been allocated to support the work of cross-departmental groups working on Africa-related issues in each of the last five years; how many members of staff were supporting this work in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: There are three formal cross-departmental bodies working on Africa related issues: Africa Conflict Prevention Pool (ACPP), Sudan Unit (SU), and the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit (PCRU). The creation of the PCRU was announced last September but it has not yet reached the point of doing any specifically Africa related work. The following table shows the resources and staff allocated to support the work of these teams since their inception.
	
		
			  ACPP SU 
			  £ million Staff £ million Staff 
		
		
			 2001–02 50 1   
			 2002–03 50 1 18 5 
			 2003–04 50 0 23 10 
			 2004–05 60 3 94 22

Arms Sales

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on UK arms sales to (a) Somalia, (b) Iran, (c) Lebanon, (d) Zambia, (e) Uzbekistan, (f) Yemen and (g) Syria referred to in OJ C316 of volume 47 of 21 December 2004.

Denis MacShane: Details of UK arms sales can be found in the Government's most recent Strategic Export Controls Annual Report, published on 7 June 2004. It covers all export licensing decisions and policy developments in 2003. Information covering the first three quarters of 2004 is published in the Strategic Export Controls Quarterly Reports. All reports and further information on our work in this area can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk, including full details of sanction regimes, embargoes and restrictions on the export of strategic goods.

Asylum and Immigration

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what scope the UK Government have under the proposed constitutional treaty for the European Union to opt out of EU policies which have as their treaty base title IV of the TEC, with particular reference to scope to opt out of the ongoing development of European asylum and migration policy.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 14 March 2005
	Title IV of the EC treaty covers measures on visas, asylum, immigration and other policies related to free movement of persons. The UK's policy on participation in these measures remains unchanged since 1999 when the treaty of Amsterdam, including our opt-in protocol, came into effect. The UK's rights in this area are not restricted by the proposed constitutional treaty for the European Union: protocol 19 to the treaty retains our right to opt in to, or stay out of, these measures. Where measures are in our interest, we will opt in. Where they do not benefit the UK, we do not participate. We have successfully used our opt-in for over five years, and we will continue to do so.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he had with the government of Burma, regarding the detention and treatment of Dr. Than Nyein, an elected Member of Parliament.

Douglas Alexander: We have not made representations about this particular case.
	I met the Burmese ambassador on 29 November and called for the release of all political prisoners in Burma. My statement on 30 November also called for their release. A copy of the statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth website: www.fco.gov.uk/policy/news/press-releases.
	An EU statement, issued before the National Convention reconvened on 17 February, called for the release of all political prisoners. The EU raised these, and other concerns, during the EU/Association of South East Asian Nations Ministerial in Jakarta on 9–10 March.
	In January, our ambassador in Rangoon wrote to the Burmese Foreign Minister to highlight the serious concerns expressed by members of both Houses on human rights abuses in Burma.
	We hold the Burmese regime responsible for the health of all political prisoners in Burma.

China

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether he has made representations to the Chinese authorities on why people were detained on 7 March by the Chinese authorities; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what reports he has received on (a) the number and (b) the age of people detained by the Chinese authorities on 7 March in Tiananmen Square; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: We are aware of reports that up to 20 people, including some children, were detained after holding a protest on Tiananmen Square on 7 March during the annual session of the National People's Congress.
	We regularly raise concerns about freedom of association with the Chinese authorities. We did so most recently during the last round of the UK/China human rights dialogue, held in Beijing on 22 November 2004.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he will reply to the letter dated 1 February from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Sohail Khalid Dar.

Chris Mullin: My right hon. Friend will reply shortly.

Departmental Equipment

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many items of Civil Service property within his Department are unaccounted for, broken down by type.

Bill Rammell: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in replying, and refer him to the reply I gave him on 24 February 2005, Official Report, column 815W.

Diego Garcia

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what inspections are made by British officials of the passengers on US ships and aircraft making use of Diego Garcia.

Bill Rammell: All ships, aircraft and personnel entering or departing Diego Garcia (including its waters) are subject to inspection by British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Imports and Exports Control officers and must present passports and immigration documentation to BIOT Immigration Officers.

Diego Garcia

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many British officials are in permanent residence in Diego Garcia; and what their responsibilities are.

Bill Rammell: There are no British officials in permanent residence on Diego Garcia. There are 40 British military personnel stationed on the island, where they usually serve for a period of one year. Their responsibilities are as follows:
	One Royal Navy Commander—Commissioners Representative, Magistrate, Principal Immigration Officer, Imports and Exports Control Officer, Coroner, Postmaster
	One Royal Marine Major—Deputy Representative (and deputy to all the above) Public Prosecutor, Fisheries Officer
	One Royal Marine Captain—military remit only
	10 British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) Peace Officers—to enforce BIOT civilian law
	14 Imports and Exports Control Officers/Immigration Officers
	Two Administration staff
	11 Security staff—military remit only
	All 40 are military staff and have a military remit in addition to the civilian roles above.

Diego Garcia

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he receives from British officials on the use made by US forces and officials of facilities on Diego Garcia.

Bill Rammell: The UK and US hold annual talks to discuss issues relating to Diego Garcia. In addition, my officials are in regular contact with US officials in London, Washington and Diego Garcia.

European Constitution

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2005, Official Report, column 1380W, on the European Constitution, if he will bring forward proposals for a mechanism to give the Scottish Parliament and other devolved bodies a role under this protocol regarding measures that are (a) devolved and (b) wholly or largely relating to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland; if he will make it his policy to allow devolved bodies, singularly or collectively, to determine one of the UK votes in these circumstances; and what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on the operation of the protocol.

Denis MacShane: The Government have had discussions with the devolved administrations about the possible operation of Protocol 2 of the EU Constitutional Treaty should it be approved. Article 6 of that Protocol states that
	It will be for each national Parliament or each chamber of a national Parliament to consult, where appropriate, regional parliaments with legislative powers".
	The nature and extent of that consultation is for national Parliaments to decide, although the Government believe it would be desirable for views of devolved legislatures to be taken into account. It is the Government's view that for the purposes of this Article the UK national Parliament constitutes the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Gibraltar

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the British military presence in Gibraltar.

Adam Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 March 2005, Official Report, column 340W.

Grievance Procedures

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedures govern the investigation of grievances by senior civil servants within his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's grievance procedures apply to all staff and comply with best practice guidelines and the requirements of the Employment Act 2002 (Dispute Resolution) Regulations 2004. Staff are encouraged to attempt to resolve a grievance informally. If this approach fails, there is a three-stage process for investigating the concern either through line management or Human Resources. We have placed a copy of our Grievance procedures in the Library of the House.

Immigration Appeals

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date Her Majesty's High Commission, Islamabad, sent the papers on the application for settlement of Mrs. S., wife of Mr. I.U.R., of Aylesbury (ISB/750278) to the Independent Appeal Authority.

Chris Mullin: The papers were sent from the visa section at our High Commission in Islamabad to the Appeals Processing Centre (APC) at the Home Office on 30 October 2004. The APC are responsible for sending the papers forward to the Immigration Appellate Authority.

Intelligence Gathering

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2005, Official Report, column 1712W, on intelligence gathering, on how many occasions in the last year his Department has used information obtained by the use of torture in another country.

Jack Straw: I again refer my hon. Friend to the answerI gave to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 11 January 2005, Official Report, column 413W. I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence gave him on 7 February 2005, Official Report, column 1257W.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the individuals detained in Iraq by coalition forces because of alleged connection with weapons of mass destruction programmes; how long each has been detained; when they are expected to be released; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Multi-National Force (MNF) has the power to intern individuals for imperative reasons of security in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1546 and the annexed exchange of letters between Prime Minister Allawi and the then US Secretary of State Colin Powell.
	Each case of detention is regularly reviewed by the detaining power and a decision taken on whether continued detention is necessary. While the reasons for these decisions are recorded, they have not been collated in a form that would enable us to answer this question on behalf of all multi-national forces. We would not, as a matter of policy, in any case release the names of those who had been detained so as to respect their privacy and to ensure there were no security repercussions for them.
	We can, however, confirm that the United Kingdom is not detaining any individuals in Iraq on the basis of alleged connection with weapons of mass destruction programmes.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Iraqi Administration on holding new elections in (a) ChaldoAssyrian areas and (b) other parts of northern Iraq where problems with the delivery of ballot boxes may have occurred; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We are aware of the allegations of voting irregularities. A complaint was submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI), the only body competent to investigate alleged irregularities in the 30 January elections. The IECI is in the process of investigating all official complaints they have received. Once their investigations are completed, the IECI will write to each complainant and publish a report detailing their findings and the action they intend to take.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) of 1 March 2005, Official Report, column 1052W, if he will publish the letters from Dr. Rod Barton of the Iraq Survey Group to which reference is made.

Denis MacShane: Dr. Barton's letters, to which he drew attention in a television documentary programme broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), were addressed to the Australian authorities. It is a matter for them to determine whether they should be published.
	The transcript of the documentary programme, and some of the papers relating to Dr. Barton's allegations, are available on the ABC website at www.abc.net.au/4corners.

Lisbon Agenda

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the Lisbon agenda to date.

Denis MacShane: I refer my hon. Friend to numerous Government publications on the Lisbon Agenda, including the Treasury's 2004 and 2005 Progress Reports, which are available in the Library of the House, the Commission's 2005 Spring Report (http://europa.eu.int/growthandjobs/) and former Dutch Prime Minister Wim Kok's High Level Group report on Lisbon progress also available in the Library of the House.

Lisbon Agenda

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in the implementation of the Lisbon agenda; what the Government's priorities are in relation to the Lisbon agenda; and what the new arrangements are for the governance of the Lisbon strategy.

Denis MacShane: The Government strongly support the Commission's focus on jobs and growth", as the immediate Lisbon reform priorities and the best way to boost prosperity and living standards for all (Commission Spring Report, launched on 2 February, http://www.europa.eu.int/growthandjobs/). As the former Dutch Prime Minister, Wim Kok, noted in his Lisbon report to EU heads in November Lisbon's direction is right and imperative, but much urgency is needed in its implementation". The Commission has identified urgent reforms and proposed a strengthened system of governance—National Growth and Employment Action Plans—to accelerate and increase political ownership of the reform process. These proposals will be discussed at the March European Council.

Middle East

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what payments the Government have made to (a) Turkey, (b) Syria, (c) Jordan, (d) Israel and (e) Egypt in each of the last three years; for what purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: holding answer 10 March 2005
	This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Middle East

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken since 2001 to improve specialisation within his Department in the Middle East; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: holding answer 10 March 2005
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has long had a cadre of staff with expertise in the Middle East region, both specialist analysts and diplomatic staff with regional expertise and regional language skills. Since 2001 the FCO has maintained this cadre, and continued to develop staff with these specialisations. The figures for Arabic speaker positions in the Gulf region show a 10 per cent. increase between 1999 (40 positions) and 2004 (44 positions). As at November 2004 there were 49 trainees undergoing Arabic language training.

Middle East

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list how many country specialists for each of the Persian Gulf states there have been in his Department in each of the last 10 years.

Jack Straw: holding answer 10 March 2005
	British diplomatic staff in each of the Gulf states are listed in the diplomatic service overseas reference list. Back-copies of this should be available through the Library of the House.
	It is not possible to identify exactly the number of country specialists working in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London on states bordering the Persian Gulf over the past 10 years, but the total number of staff working in London on these states in the Arabian Peninsula and Iran Group (and its predecessor, the Middle East Department) and in the Research Analysts Department has normally been around 20.

Oil for Food Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department gave evidence to the Volcker investigation into the Iraq Oil for Food scandal.

Bill Rammell: The Government fully support the work of the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) led by Paul Volcker set up by the UN Secretary-General to investigate the administration and management of the Oil for Food Programme. The Government is co-operating fully with the IIC's investigations and to date nine former or serving Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials have given evidence. We have also released hundreds of FCO documents requested by the IIC and continue to review our records for further documents of relevance to their investigations.

Oil for Food Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what investigations his Department is undertaking into (a) the Iraq Oil for Food scandal and (b) illegal oil movements from that country prior to and following the invasion in 2003.

Bill Rammell: The Government continue to study carefully the interim report published on 3 February by the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) set up by the UN Secretary-General to investigate the administration and management of the Oil for Food Programme. We take very seriously all allegations of wrongdoing under the programme and are co-operating fully with the IIC's investigations. It would be inappropriate to comment on the allegations of corruption surrounding the Programme or oil smuggling outside of the Programme until the IIC has completed its investigations. We will pass on any information received concerning possible wrongdoing by UK entities to the relevant UK authorities for investigation.

Oil for Food Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether British companies were implicated in (a) the Iraq Oil for Food scandal and (b) illegal oil movements from Iraq prior to the invasion in 2003.

Bill Rammell: The involvement of some 3,500 companies—including UK companies—in the Oil for Food Programme will be the subject of a future report of the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) set up by the UN Secretary-General to investigate the administration and management of the programme. It would be inappropriate to speculate on the nature of UK companies' involvement in the programme until the IIC has completed its investigations. The Government take very seriously all allegations of corruption surrounding the Oil for Food Programme. Any information we receive concerning possible wrongdoing by UK entities will be passed to the relevant UK authorities for investigation.

Project Coast

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests the Government have received from South Africa for information relating to Porton Down's involvement with scientists associated with the biological warfare programme of the former Apartheid Government and Project Coast, with particular reference to Dr. Wouter Basson; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 8 March 2005
	The present Government have no record of any such requests from the South African Government.

Rajasthan State

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Indian Government concerning the attacks in February on Christian students in Kota, Rajasthan State, by activists from militant Hindu groups.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 9 March 2005
	We have not raised this specific incident with the Indian authorities, but we continue as a matter of course to raise our concerns with them about religious intolerance in India, including attacks against Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians. We will continue to urge the Indian authorities to ensure the right to freedom of religion enshrined in its constitution is upheld, and that those responsible for attacks against people because of their religion are brought to justice. We will remind them that the UK Government condemn the persecution of individuals or groups because of their religion or beliefs. The UK Government believe that the democratic process in India is the best protection for a peaceful and secure country. We appreciate the remarks by Dr. Manmohan Singh in his first press conference as Prime Minister, when he said
	We are the most tolerant civilisation and we cannot divide people on the basis of religion and race."

Sudan

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will press the UN Security Council to refer the situation in the Sudan, including Darfur, to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in accordance with Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute.

Bill Rammell: Our preference is for the situation in Darfur to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), as recommended by the International Commission of Inquiry. Since Sudan is not a State Party to the ICC Statute, and is unlikely to refer the situation to the Court, a decision by the Security Council will be required.

Turkey

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage Turkey to remove trade barriers for ceramic goods; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: The European Commission successfully lobbied the Turkish authorities last year to remove the requirement for a conformity assessment on imported ceramic tableware goods. The British Embassy in Ankara has also assisted a number of British companies who have experienced difficulties in exporting ceramic goods to Turkey. The Embassy continues to monitor any cases brought to its attention by British firms and will, if a problem cannot be resolved, ask the Commission to raise the issue with the Turkish authorities.

Ukraine

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what special restrictions are in place on the issue of visas to visitors from Ukraine.

Chris Mullin: There are no special restrictions placed on the issue of visas to visitors from the Ukraine. All applications for entry to the UK as visitors are considered under the Immigration Rules.
	The visa section aims to provide a same-day service for straightforward applications.

UN Human Rights Commission

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what UK representatives will attend the 2005 meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission; and what consultation he will undertake with non-governmental groups that have recognised UN status in advance of the meeting;
	(2)  who the UK representative will be at the forthcoming UN Human Rights Commission; and what statement will be presented by the UK Government.

Bill Rammell: Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Human Rights, Democracy and Governance Group in London, and from our missions in New York and Geneva, will form the UK delegation to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) from 14 March-22 April. I plan to attend and address the High Level Segment in the first week—it is too early to give details of what the statement will cover.
	In terms of NGO involvement, I am pleased to say that I am planning to take an NGO representative with me when I visit Geneva to address the High Level Segment. I hope this will further strengthen links between our work and that of the NGO community. Ialso host a regular pre-CHR NGO forum, which took place this year on 9 February, where NGOs can discuss priorities and policy on the range of resolutions with myself and the officials who will form our delegation at the Commission. We, and I believe the NGOs, find this an invaluable exercise in sharing views and informing our preparations for the Commission. Our mission in Geneva also has regular contacts with the NGO community there during the course of the Commission.

Uzbekistan

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Uzbekistan's human rights record.

Chris Mullin: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Bill Rammell) gave to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 7 March 2005, Official Report, column 1582W.

Yemen

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet the hon. Member for Leicester, East to discuss the closure of the British consulate in Aden.

Chris Mullin: My right hon. and noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the Middle East, would be pleased to discuss this with my hon. Friend. I have asked that her office arrange a suitable date.

Zimbabwe

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of reports of (a) government harassment of journalists in Zimbabwe and (b) the raiding of the offices of journalists Jan Raath and Brain Latham;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Zimbabwe about freedom of the press.

Chris Mullin: I refer the hon. Member to the reply Igave to the hon. Member for Fylde (Mr. Jack) on 1 March 2005, Official Report, column 801. As regards the latest harassment of journalists, we see this as further evidence of a climate of intimidation that makes the prospect of a free election unlikely.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Application Forms

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how benefit application forms are made available; and what the cost is of each method.

Chris Pond: Application forms are widely available for the benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions in a variety of formats.
	The Pension Service is now primarily a telephone-based service and the main method for making applications for state pension and pension credit is by telephone. Staff complete application forms based on information provided by customers over the telephone and completed forms are then sent to customers to check, sign and return.
	This method is also available for benefits administered by Jobcentre Plus and The Disability and Carers Service. This service is also available in Welsh and in a Braille/large print version. For other languages customers can use Language Line which enables applications to be taken via a telephone interpreting service, in up to 150 languages, to customers whose first language is not English.
	Paper application forms, in either English or Welsh, can be issued on request. These forms are available to the public from the departmental outlets of Jobcentre Plus offices, Social Security offices, Contact Centres, Local Service outlets of The Pension Service and from organisations such as Citizens Advice Bureaux, medical centres, MPs' surgeries, hospitals/hospices and social services.
	Information on the cost of making application forms available by the various methods is not available separately.

Benefit Offices (Weymouth)

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans have been made for the future operation of benefits offices in Weymouth, with particular reference to (a) opening hours to members of the public, (b) the level of staffing and (c) the number of social security customers who would be expected to be affected by any changes; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 14 March 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about what plans have been made for the future operation of benefits offices in Weymouth, with particular reference to (a)opening hours to members of the public, (b) the level of staffing and (c) the number of Social Security customers who would be expected to be affected by any change. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Following rollout of Jobcentre Plus in Dorset, Weymouth Jobcentre and Weymouth Social Security office were amalgamated into Weymouth Jobcentre Plus. This is now the only benefit office in Weymouth. The table below contains full details of the office opening hours, and there are no plans to change them.
	
		Opening times for the Weymouth Jobcentre Plus office
		
			 Weymouth office Opening time Closing time 
		
		
			 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and  Friday 9.00 am 5.00 pm 
			 Wednesday 10.00 am 5.00 pm 
		
	
	The District Manager for Dorset and Somerset is currently awaiting a final calculation of resource allocations before deciding how the resources should be allocated across the district, but we do know that efficiency savings will mean a reduction of staffing levels in the Weymouth office.
	Weymouth Jobcentre Plus currently deals with both frontline enquiries from benefit customers and benefit processing. Nationally there are plans in place to brigade benefit processing into a reduced number of sites. Although Weymouth Jobcentre Plus will not be processing benefit claims in the future, a final date for the transfer of this work and where it will be located, is yet to be decided.
	Under Jobcentre Plus operations, claims to Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support or Incapacity Benefit usually start with a telephone call to the Contact Centre. Weymouth Jobcentre Plus has the facility for all visiting customers to use telephony linked direct to the Contact Centre in Poole. After obtaining initial details about the customer the Contact Centre arrange to call them back to complete a claim for benefit. They also arrange an appointment for the customer to attend their local Jobcentre Plus office to see both a Financial Assessor and a Personal Adviser. For Weymouth customers this is the Weymouth Jobcentre Plus office.
	Although it is anticipated that benefit processing will be moved from Weymouth Jobcentre Plus, the movement of this work will not affect the processes currently in place.
	I hope this is helpful.

Benefits

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Workand Pensions what financial help is available to applicants for (a) income support, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) jobseeker's allowance between the date of application and the conclusion of a work-focused benefit interview.

Chris Pond: A customer for any of these benefits may express a need for immediate financial help any time during the new-claim process. The action to take will depend upon what stage the request is made.
	Where a benefit claim has been assessed and payment of benefit is due, the payment is issued immediately.
	If the request is made at First Contact Stage, wherever possible, an urgent appointment (preferably the same day) is made with the Financial Assessor and Personal Adviser to complete the claim process and allow any payment due to be released.
	If an immediate appointment cannot be booked or the benefit claim cannot be assessed, because for example information is outstanding, an interim payment is considered. An interim payment is a payment on account of benefit and is considered when, from the information provided already, it appears the customer may be entitled to benefit but it is not possible to fully assess the claim immediately.
	Where a benefit claim has been assessed, but it is established the first payment is not due immediately, then consideration can be given to a Social Fund Crisis Loan.

Dunley Jobcentre

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  when the decision was made to bring forward the announcement of the planned closure of Dunley Jobcentre; what interim arrangements are being put in place; and what contracts are being negotiated with Gloucestershire city council on access to IT facilities in the new library;
	(2)  what redeployment of staff is being undertaken regarding the planned closure of the Dunley Jobcentre; and whether the provision of a continuing staff presence in Dunley was considered.

Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. David Drew, dated 14 March 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions about the planned closure of Dursley Jobcentre. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	It may be helpful if I explain that on 22 October 2004 we wrote to our stakeholders to inform them that Dursley Jobcentre had been earmarked for closure, providing the reasons why and inviting views from stakeholders. As a result of the consultation exercise, the final decision concerning the closure of Dursley Jobcentre was made in February 2005 and the office will close on 31 March. The communication of this decision began on 4 March via a press release, then in writing to Jobcentre Plus customers and other stakeholders. At no time between October 2004 and February 2005 did we confirm the closure of Dursley Jobcentre and therefore our announcement was not brought forward.
	Jobcentre Plus is currently in local negotiations with Gloucestershire County Council for provision of a Flexible Service Delivery (FSD) option in Dursley Library. This negotiation has not yet been concluded as the Local Authority are considering the terms of the formal written agreement proposed by Jobcentre Plus. The FSD option includes the provision of a free telephone link and the use of the Library Internet services. Interim arrangements have been made to provide a limited service to customers from the existing Jobcentre site on one day per week until the FSD option is in place and fully operational.
	Jobcentre Plus has taken every appropriate step in redeploying staff affected by the closure of Dursley Jobcentre. There are currently two staff members who have yet to agree a permanent alternative. The provision of a continuing staff presence in Dursley was fully considered in light of stakeholder feedback.
	It is important to remember that the shape of the network in future is in response to the changing business need. Increasingly we will be delivering our services through the premises of our partners and siting facilities such as touch-screen Jobpoints or free telephone access in local public buildings. The need for face-to- face facilities for jobsearch and other aspects of our business has been superseded in many instances by different business processes and the use of information technology. For example, over the last 12 months we have seen an increase of over 40 per cent. in the number of hits on our jobsearch web-site.

EU Councils

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the outcome was of the Employment and Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on 3 March; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: I represented the UK at the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council in Brussels on 3 March 2005.
	The main focus of business was preparation towards the Spring European Council. This took the form of a policy debate, based on a Presidency questionnaire and a Key Issues paper from the Employment and Social Protection Committees (EMCO and SPC), to finalise the ESPHCA Council's contribution to the Spring Council.
	Commissioner Spidla summarised the Commission's position, to set growth and employment at the heart of the revision of the Lisbon strategy.
	For the UK, I stressed that there was no conflict between the economic and social agendas. On the contrary, a focus on employment should be seen as an affirmation of Europe's commitment to its social goals, as without growth social policies might not be sustainable.
	The Key Messages paper was adopted for transmission to the Spring European Council.
	The Presidency presented an information note on Working Time outlining the current positions of the member states. There was no debate on this point.
	The Council agreed a partial general approach on a decision establishing the PROGRESS social spending programme, which would replace five existing social programmes from 2007. For the UK I maintained a parliamentary scrutiny reserve. A Council declaration explained that the partial agreement covered all articles except Article 17, on the budget and internal allocations between different strands of activity. The agreement could be re-opened in the light of the EP's opinion or agreement of the Financial Perspectives.
	The Presidency informed the Council that it intends to hold a Tripartite Social Summit on the eve of the European Council to discuss the mid term review of the Lisbon agenda.
	The Council also agreed a general approach on a regulation making routine miscellaneous amendments to social security co-ordination regulation 1408/71.
	The Council also heard presentations on the work programmes of the Employment Committee and the Social Protection Committee (SPC) and a study by the SPC on private pensions.
	The Council adopted without debate conclusions on the Social Aspects of Globalisation.

Fuel Direct

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of customers included in the Fuel Direct payment scheme in the last 10 years; and what the cost of operating the Fuel Direct payment system has been in each of the last 10 years.

Chris Pond: Information regarding the cost of running the Fuel Direct scheme is not available. Information regarding the number of customers included in the scheme is in the following table.
	
		DWP customers on Fuel Direct scheme -- Thousand
		
			 August Electricity Gas Total 
		
		
			 1995 57 172 229 
			 1996 47 141 188 
			 1997 43.3 126.4 169.7 
			 1998 35.7 86.6 122.3 
			 1999 29.2 56.8 86 
			 2000 26.5 45.3 71.8 
			 2001 25 37.1 62.1 
			 2002 21.9 31.9 53.8 
			 2003 21.6 29.7 51.3 
			 2004 17.5 22.5 40 
		
	
	Note:
	The figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and as such subject to a degree of sampling error.
	Source:
	Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance Quarterly Statistical Enquiries.

Incapacity Benefit

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in West Suffolk constituency were in receipt of incapacity benefit in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the following table.
	
		All incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance claimants in the West Suffolk parliamentary constituency, at the quarter shown
		
			 As at 31 August: Number 
		
		
			 1997 1,900 
			 1998 2,100 
			 1999 2,000 
			 2000 1,900 
			 2001 2,100 
			 2002 2,000 
			 2003 2,400 
			 2004 2,100 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	2.Figures include all incapacity benefit, severe disability allowance and credits-only cases.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample.

Parliamentary Questions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the projects being undertaken by his Department in respect of which information cannot be given in answer to parliamentary questions as a result of commercial confidentiality.

Maria Eagle: The Department considers each request for information on an individual basis. Any decision not to release information relating to a project as a result of commercial confidentiality would be made on the basis of the specific request.

Pensioners

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on pensioners in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is in the table.
	
		Expenditure -- Rounded to nearest £ million
		
			  Jarrow Constituency South Tyneside North East Great Britain 
		
		
			 1997–98 70 132 2,149 41,414 
			 1998–99 69 131 2,165 43,597 
			 1999–2000 71 135 2,223 46,823 
			 2000–01 76 142 2,347 49,403 
			 2001–02 84 156 2,521 53,229 
			 2002–03 89 163 2,635 55,963 
			 2003–04 95 174 2,777 58,995 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.The information in the table provides benefit expenditure for pensioners in Great Britain.
	2.Benefit expenditure in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Office and is not included in the above table.
	3.Table consists of the expenditure on the main pensioner benefits: pension credit, winter fuel payments to all those 60 and over, retirement pension, disability living allowance and attendance allowance to people over state pension age, the over-80s payment.
	4.Housing benefit and council tax benefit has been excluded from the table as the local authority level data cannot be broken down between pensioners and other recipients, and no information is available at constituency level.
	5.Expenditure has been apportioned to pensioner groups using Quarterly Statistical Enquiry data for the relevant benefits, which is based on a 5 per cent. sample and therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	Benefit expenditure forecast information is published on the Internet at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp

Social Security Fraud

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases of social security fraud were dealt with by officers in benefit offices in Weymouth in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04.

Chris Pond: The information is in the following table.
	
		Benefit fraud investigations carried out by benefit offices in Weymouth
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2001–02 598 
			 2002–03 735 
			 2003–04 811 
		
	
	Source:
	Fraud Information by Sector database

Social Security Fraud

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fraud officers he expects will be based in benefits offices in Weymouth in 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: There are currently five benefit fraud investigators based in benefit offices in Weymouth. Staffing levels for 2005–06 have not yet been decided.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the public service agreement target to reduce losses from fraud and error for people of working age in income support and jobseeker's allowance by 33 per cent. by 2004 was met.

Chris Pond: Our tough action against fraud and error is paying off for the taxpayer. We have reduced fraud and error in income support and jobseeker's allowance by 37 per cent., exceeding the original target of 33 per cent. by March 2004.
	This shows we are getting results in preventing, detecting and deterring fraud.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to improve children's communication, social and emotional development;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to ensure that 50 per cent. of children reach a good level of development at the end of Foundation Stage by 2008 will be met;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase the take-up of formal child care by lower income families by 50 per cent. by 2008 will be met;
	(4)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the Public Service Agreement target to introduce a successful light-touch child care approval scheme by April will be met.

Chris Pond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister for Children, Young People and Families (Margaret Hodge) on 8 March 2005, Official Report, column 1784W.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase the stock of Ofsted-registered child care by 10 per cent. by 2008 will be met.

Chris Pond: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister for Children, Young People and Families (Margaret Hodge) on 8 March 2005, Official Report, columns 1785–86W.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target of full employment in every region.

Jane Kennedy: Since 1997, employment nationally has risen by over two million and the number of people in work is up in every region. While every region has an employment rate above the EU average, describing the labour market at regional level can be misleading as there is much greater variation within, rather than between, regions.
	Around 90 per cent. of all local authority districts in Great Britain have an employment rate above the EU average, and a key element of the Government's labour market policies is improving the performance of the relatively small number of areas within each region where this is not the case.
	Since 1997 claimant unemployment has halved, long-term unemployment has fallen by more than three quarters and the number of lone parents on benefit has fallen by a fifth. In addition, the number of people on incapacity benefits has peaked after two decades of substantial growth. The improvements have been greatest in the areas where, in 1997, benefit receipt was highest.
	While this has moved us closer to the aim of full employment in every region, the Department's five year strategy set out the Government's long-term aspiration to achieve an employment rate equivalent to 80 per cent. of the working age population. This will mean continuing to focus on those who can get back into work, including people on incapacity benefits, lone parents, older people and the long-term unemployed.

Women's Employment

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what discussions the Ethnic Minority Employment Taskforce has had with the Equal Opportunities Commission on ensuring that research for the taskforce identifies issues specific to women's employment;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Equal Opportunities Commission on commissioning research into the factors affecting ethnic minority women entering and re-entering the labour market.

Jane Kennedy: The Taskforce recognises that addressing gender issues will be essential to the success of the ethnic minority employment strategy. Officials from the Department for Work and Pensions have had a number of discussions with the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) on issues affecting the employment of ethnic minority women. The EOC have submitted a research proposal on factors affecting the progression of ethnic minority women entering and re-entering the labour market and officials are currently considering the proposal in the context of the ethnic minority employment strategy.
	I am meeting with the Chief Executive of the EOC on 16 March to discuss these issues further.

Work-focused Interviews

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the target time is for the holding of a work-focused benefit interview following the initial claim by an individual for income support, incapacity benefit or job seeker's allowance; and what the average time between the initial call and the interview being conducted was at the job centres in (a) Blandford, (b) Bridport, (c) Christchurch, (d) Poole and (e) Wareham in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Chris Pond: holding answer 3 March 2005
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Christopher Chope, dated 14 March 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the target time for holding a Work Focused Interview (WFI) following an initial claim to Income Support, Incapacity Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance, and the average time between the initial call and the interview being conducted at the Jobcentres in Blandford, Bridport, Christchurch, Poole, and Wareham. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Under Jobcentre Plus operations, a claim to Income Support, Incapacity Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance usually starts with a telephone call to the Contact Centre. After obtaining initial details, Contact Centre staff call the customer back to obtain the necessary information to complete a claim to benefit. They also arrange an appointment for the customer to attend their local office to see both a Financial Assessor and a Personal Adviser.
	At present Jobcentre Plus has separate targets for processing Jobseekers Allowance, Income Support and Incapacity Benefit. These are known as Actual Average Clearance Targets (AACT). The target for Jobseeker's Allowance is 12 days from the first contact with the Contact Centre and the processing of the claim. For Income Support the target is again 12 days however this commences from when a customer has provided all the necessary information to process the claim because Income Support claims are subject to the Evidence Requirement. Incapacity Benefit claims have a target of 22 days from the date of claim to the date of processing. The WFI stage is a component part of the process.
	There is no current target for the holding of a WFI following the initial claim to benefit although it is our aim to conduct the interview within 5 days of initial contact. Unfortunately as there is no target the information you require on the performances of particular offices is not available.
	As part of Jobcentre Plus' future performance measures, we are looking into the possibility of introducing an internal key performance indicator to measure the time between the customer's initial call and the WFI being conducted. This would be included in a suite of measures to manage the end to end process from when a customer makes contact with us to when they find work or are awarded benefit. A decision will be made on this later in the year.
	I am sorry that I can't be more helpful.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Census Records

John Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether the Lord Chancellor has ever exercised a power or authority to apply Public Records Act Instrument No. 12 (1966) to decennial population census records for England and Wales that have been retained by the Registrar General and have not been deposited in the Public Record Office/National Archives.

Christopher Leslie: Instrument number 12 was signed by the Lord Chancellor in exercise of the power conferred on him under section 5(1) of the Public Records Act 1958. This section governed access to public records in the Public Record Office, now The National Archives, including decennial population records held there.
	The Instrument did not cover those decennial census records held by the Registrar General, including those retained by him under section 3(4) of the Public Records Act 1958, and from which the disclosure of information is protected by the provisions of section 8(2) of the Census Act 1920.

Magistrates/County Courts

Frank Field: To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) magistrates and (b) county courts there have been in each of the last 20 years.

Christopher Leslie: (a) The provision of magistrates courthouses and the collection of statistics relating to the numbers of courthouses is a matter for each of the 42 Magistrates Courts Committees (MCCs). From 1 April 2005 Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS) will take responsibility for the administration of all courts below the House of Lords. HMCS will be an executive agency of the Department of Constitutional Affairs (DCA). Since 2000, the DCA have collected the information in the table on the number of places used as magistrates courthouses:
	
		
			  Number of magistrates courts(33) 
		
		
			 2000 442 
			 2001 413 
			 2002 394 
			 2003 390 
			 2004 387 
			 2005 387 
		
	
	(33)This includes occasional places used as courtrooms (e.g. where a town hall" is used).
	(b) Data and information on the number of county courts in each of the last 20 years is not available. However, data since 1989 is provided as follows.
	
		
			  Number of county courts 
		
		
			 1989 292 
			 1990 291 
			 1991 291 
			 1992 290 
			 1993 283 
			 1994 278 
			 1995 262 
			 1996 254 
			 1997 241 
			 1998 233 
			 1999 227 
			 2000 225 
			 2001 221 
			 2002 220 
			 2003 218 
			 2004 218 
			 2005 218

Parliamentary Questions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will list the projects being undertaken by his Department in respect of which information cannot be given in answer to parliamentary questions as a result of commercial confidentiality.

Christopher Leslie: A decision not to release information relating to any project as a result of commercial confidentiality is made on the basis of the specific request made in each parliamentary question.
	An assessment of commercial confidentiality may apply to specific element within a project as well as to an entire project. It is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what regional (a) bodies, (b) institutions, (c) taskforces, (d) panels, (e) offices and (f) organisations the Government have established since May 1997 which are the responsibility of his Department;
	(2)  which (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) Executive agencies within the remit of his Department have regional offices based on the Government offices for the regions' regional structure; and when the regional offices were established in each case.

David Lammy: The Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) is responsible for two organisations which have regional offices. The Legal Services Commission, a non-departmental public body, was established under the Access to Justice Act 1999, replacing the Legal Aid Board. From January 2000, it adjusted its regional boundaries so that in the main they matched those of the Government offices for the regions 1 regional structure in England. However, in addition to the North West (Manchester) Regional Office, they have a Merseyside Regional Office.
	The Court Service is an Executive agency of the DCA, which from the 1 April 2005 will become part of a new agency, Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS). Both the current and future agencies are made up of seven regions, which match Government regions with the following exceptions. For business reasons, HMCS combines the following into single regions:
	the east of England and south east Government regions,
	the north east and Yorkshire and the Humber Government regions;
	the east and west Midlands;
	Wales with Cheshire (which is in the north west region); and
	Hampshire with the south west (which is in the south east region).

Youth Defendants

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average time was from offence to completion for youth defendants in criminal cases coming before magistrates courts in each of the last three years.

Christopher Leslie: Average times for all youth defendants in all criminal cases, by stage of proceedings 2002 to 2004 are shown in the table as follows.
	
		Average times for all youth defendants in all criminal cases, by stage of proceedings 2002 to 2004 -- Days
		
			  Offence to charge or laying of information (Days) Charge or laying of information to first listing First listing to completion (34)Offence to completion 
		
		
			 2002 35 10 45 91 
			 2003 36 11 46 92 
			 2004 40 11 46 97 
		
	
	(34)The total in the Offence to completion column may not sum exactly the previous three columns, as each stage will have been rounded independently.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Emergency Evacuations

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on contingency plans for evacuating (a) Ascension Island, (b) St. Helena and (c) Tristan da Cunha in the event of an emergency.

Chris Mullin: I have been asked to reply.
	All three territories have disaster management plans. These include contingency plans for moving the populations to designated areas of safety, in an emergency. Depending on the severity of any emergency, the Governor, in consultation with the local legislature, and the UK Government, will consider whether an evacuation of the territory is appropriate.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Civil Servants

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many medical retirements there were in each (a) department, (b) agency, (c) non-departmental public body, (d) education and library board and (e) health and social services board in Northern Ireland in each of the last two financial years; and what proportion of all retirements that were medical retirements this represented in each case.

Ian Pearson: The number of medical retirements and the proportion of all retirements that were medical retirements in each of the last two complete financial years i.e. 2002–03 and 2003–04 are outlined in the following tables, in respect of (i) the main Civil Service Pension Scheme, broken down by Department, Agency, non-departmental public body, (ii) the Health and Personal Social Services Pension Scheme (HPSS), broken down by health boards, and (iii) the Teachers Pension Scheme (Northern Ireland), broken down by education and library board, and (iv) all other non- departmental public bodies, has been placed in the Library.

Deaf People (Public Service Delivery)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the amount of training provided for civil servants in Northern Ireland to enable them to communicate with the deaf and hard of hearing; and how many civil servants in Northern Ireland are (a) trained and (b) undertaking training in sign language;
	(2)  what funding has been made available to enable civil servants in Northern Ireland to learn (a) British Sign Language and (b) International Sign Language to (i) Level 1 and (ii) Level 2 in each of the last five years; and what measures he is taking to encourage civil servants to undertake such training.

Ian Pearson: Assessment of the amount of the amount of training required is made at the business level, in most cases by front-line managers, who are best placed to identify the need.
	A record of the total number of staff with signing skills is not currently maintained. However, training records over the past three years (from 1 April 2002 to date) show that nine civil servants have been trained in British Sign Language, eight at Level 1 and one at Level 2. A further eight are currently undertaking training in British Sign Language, seven at Level 1 and one at Level 2. This training has been provided at a cost of £1,539 for Level 1 and £473 for Level 2. In addition to sign language training, 774 staff have received training in deaf awareness/introduction to sign language/communication with the deaf and hard of hearing/use of text phones.
	Funds are made available to meet identified need in a particular business area. When a need is identified, staff are encouraged to put themselves forward for the appropriate training.
	This response includes the Northern Ireland Departments and their agencies and the Northern Ireland Office.

Deaf People (Public Service Delivery)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether a communication audit has been conducted to assess the extent to which Government services are accessible to deaf people in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: A communication audit has not been conducted but several departments are working in partnership with representatives of the deaf community, to develop ideas for improving access to public services for sign language users.

Hyponatraemia-related Deaths

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether witnesses at the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths will be allowed to appear by video-link.

Angela Smith: This is a matter for John O'Hara QC, chairman of the inquiry. I understand, however, that the chairman intimated, in his opening remarks at the preliminary hearing held on 3 February 2005, that in certain circumstances he would consider the use of video-link evidence. A copy of the transcript of the hearing has been placed in the House Library.

Equality Commission

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how much was spent on legal assistance by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland in each of the last four years, broken down by section 75 group;
	(2)  how many requests for assistance were received by the Equality Commission, broken down by section 75 group;
	(3)  how much was spent by the Equality Commission on legal assistance in each of the last four years; and whether there was (a) an overspend and (b) an under spend against budget in each of those years.

John Spellar: I understand that the Chief Executive of the Equality Commission has written to the hon. Gentleman.
	Letter from the Chief Executive of the Equality Commission (Evelyn Collins) to Mr. Eddie McGrady.
	As your Parliamentary Questions fall within the operational remit of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, they have been forwarded to me for response.
	Question 217670: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much was spent on legal assistance by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland in each of the last four years, broken down by section 75 group.
	I would being by clarifying that under the legislation the Commission is only empowered to assist cases in the areas of sex discrimination, racial discrimination, religious belief and political opinion, disability and sexual orientation. It was in December 2003 that sexual orientation was added as a ground on which to base a complaint of discrimination and, consequently, does not appear in the figures you request for the past four years, as there was no expenditure on legal assistance for that ground in December 2003-March 2004 period. Although the Commission has duties with regard to each of the nine Section 75 grounds, we are not presently empowered to assist cases on the grounds of age, and having or not having dependants.
	Information on our legal work and the expenditure on legal assistance is contained in our Annual Report and Accounts. With regard to the specific information requested, I trust the following is helpful.
	
		£
		
			 Remit 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Disability 8,233 88,333 414,419 187,171 
			 Race 120,605 156,106 422,387 193,435 
			 Religious belief/political opinion 166,780 170,261 916,357 239,464 
			 Sex 348,867 631,861 829,588 524,967 
			 Total 644,475 1,046,561 2,582,721 1,145,037 
		
	
	Question 217671: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many requests for assistance were received by the Equality Commission in each of section 75 group.
	Information on requests for assistance is based on the date at which the request was considered by the Commission's Legal Funding Committee.
	
		
			  Number of applications per year 
			 Remit 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Disability 71 119 132 171 
			 Race 214 140 89 83 
			 Religious belief/political opinion 225 411 172 222 
			 Sex 141 191 230 138 
			 Sexual orientation — — — 1 
			 Total 651 861 623 615 
		
	
	Question 217723: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much was spent by the Equality Commission on legal assistance in each of the last four years; and whether there was (a)an overspend and (b) an under spend against budget in each of those years.
	In each of the four years the spend on legal assistance was higher than originally planned; however, the Commission's total spending was within the budgets agreed with OFMDFM.
	
		
			  Spend (£) 
		
		
			 2000–01 597,879 
			 2001–02 846,412 
			 2002–03 2,120,340 
			 2003–04 1,658,563 
		
	
	If I can provide any further information on this matter, or any other aspect of our equality work, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Medical Negligence

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the cost to the Northern Ireland economy of medical negligence in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Information in relation to the last five years is detailed in the following table:
	
		Amounts paid in settlement of clinical negligence claims
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1999–2000 4,859 
			 2000–01 9,409 
			 2001–02 7,415 
			 2002–03 13,550 
			 2003–04 15,194 
		
	
	The amount paid in any one year in respect of clinical negligence can vary considerably due to the uncertain timing of the settlement of cases.
	The Department remains committed to taking appropriate action to address and reduce the incidence of medical negligence, and the subsequent number and amount of claims.

Pension Credit

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of (a) female and (b) male pensioners in Northern Ireland are in receipt of pension credit.

John Spellar: In my answer of 25 October 2004, Official Report, column 1071W, the figures provided were incorrect. The correct figures are as follows, there are 29.7 per cent. of female pensioners and 24 per cent. of male pensioners currently in receipt of pension credit.

Pensioners

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of (a) female and (b) male pensioners in Northern Ireland are in receipt of the full basic state pension.

John Spellar: In my answer of 25 October 2004, Official Report, column 1071W, the figures provided were incorrect. The correct figures are as follows, there are 34 per cent. of female pensioners and 78.1 per cent. of male pensioners currently in receipt of the full basic state pension.

Project Funding

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money has been allocated by the Department of Finance and Personnel under Priority 4-Outward and Forward Looking Region; and what percentage of such monies relates to projects operating on (a) a Northern Ireland-Republic of Ireland basis, (b) a Northern Ireland-Great Britain basis and (c) a Northern Ireland-rest of world basis.

Ian Pearson: Priority 4 has two measures Measure 4.1 (Networking in Europe and beyond) and Measure 4.2 (Marketing the region for tourism).
	Measure 4.1 is implemented by OFMDFM in Northern Ireland and SEUPB in the border region of Ireland. Information on project operational costs is not held in the format requested and the following estimates have been made by the implementing bodies based on knowledge of projects.
	
		
			 Measure Implementing body Total estimated allocation (£) Percentage (a)(b)(c) 
		
		
			 4.1 OFMDFM 6,435,897 20 10 70 
			  SEUPB 684,780 78 — 22 
		
	
	Measure 4.2 is implemented by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board in Northern Ireland and the SEUPB in the border region of Ireland. The activities in this measure include international advertising, international promotion, support for market research and website design. A breakdown of the expenditure in the format requested is not possible. To date NITB have allocated £12,371,843 to such projects for the benefit of Northern Ireland only. Similarly £1,309,000 has been allocated by the SEUPB for border region projects only.

Retirement (Health Grounds)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland under what circumstances individuals would be entitled to retire on health grounds following the implementation of proposed Government pension scheme changes in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: It is assumed that this question is referring to the proposed changes to the pension schemes for civil servants, staff employed in the NHS and for teachers.
	Consultation on proposed changes to pensions, including those for ill health retirement, of the main civil service pension scheme in Great Britain and the NHS and teachers schemes for England and Wales are currently under way. As the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme for Northern Ireland, the Health and Personal Social Services Superannuation Scheme, and the Teachers Superannuation Scheme in Northern Ireland operate on a principle of parity with these schemes, the normal approach would be to introduce similar changes for Northern Ireland staff.
	The proposals relating to ill-health retirement in the consultation document Building a Sustainable Future—Proposals for Changes to Civil Service Pension Arrangements" are broadly similar to those presently available to members of the premium arrangement of the current civil service pension provisions with the recognition that higher benefits should be paid to those who are most incapacitated. The proposals relating to ill-health retirement for the teachers pension schemes are similar to those proposed under the civil service scheme.
	The proposals are as follows:
	Where the scheme's medical adviser agrees that a member's ill-health is such that they are no longer able to do their job and that this is likely to continue to pension age, the member should receive their pension immediately without any reduction for early payment.
	If the scheme's medical adviser considers that the member is virtually unable to do any job, not just their present job, they should receive an increase to their pension, under a formula yet to be determined.
	Civil service members who are covered by the current classic arrangements are subject to a slightly modified approach, compatible with an employee contributions rate of 1.5 per cent. rather than the premium contribution rate of 3.5 per cent. Regardless of the degree of incapacity a single level of ill-health pension will be payable.
	The review partners of the NHS pension scheme consider that the pension scheme cannot deal with ill health in isolation and that it is important that any changes to the pension scheme are part of an integrated approach to managing ill-health absence. They have proposed that a separate partnership review of sickness and ill-health arrangements should be carried out, which will help the pension review determine this aspect of pension scheme design. The consultation document is seeking views on this approach to reviewing sickness and ill-health retirement arrangements.

Sewerage

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the Government's Reform of Water and Sewerage Services in Northern Ireland on (a) the elderly and (b) those who have elderly dependants, based on each of the broad policy options.

John Spellar: The draft Integrated Impact Assessment published on 29 November set out Government's assessment of the impacts of its policy proposals and options. The draft equality impact assessment element of the IIA noted that the proposal to base domestic water and sewerage charges on property value would have a marginal negative differential impact on the elderly and on those who care for them. A number of measures to mitigate the negative equality impacts were identified, including the provision of discounts for certain low income households. The proposal also envisages that the impact of the low income protection measures should be kept under review to determine how effectively they are mitigating differential equality impacts.
	No other impacts on the elderly or those who care for them were identified in the IIA.
	Consultation on the draft Integrated Impact Assessment of the proposals for the reform of water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland closed on 4 March 2005. Work is under way to analyse and evaluate the comments received. A considered response will be issued in due course along with a final equality impact assessment.

Shellfish and Whitefish

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were employed in the (a) shellfish and (b) whitefish sectors of the fishing industry in Northern Ireland on the last date for which figures are available.

Ian Pearson: Information in respect of the number of people employed in the processing and marketing, catching and other sectors of the Northern Ireland fishing industry is shown in the following table.
	The data does not distinguish between employment in the shellfish and whitefish sectors and to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  2000 2001 2002 
			  Part-time Full-time Part-time Full-time Part-time Full-time 
		
		
			 Ardglass   
			 Catching 10 96 10 81 8 84 
			 Processing and marketing 13 160 23 155 21 152 
			 Others 6 37 4 47 4 35 
			 Total 29 293 37 283 33 271 
			
			 Kilkeel   
			 Catching 30 280 0 200 0 260 
			 Processing and marketing 81 546 61 483 48 339 
			 Others 13 74 6 68 5 66 
			 Total 124 900 67 751 53 665 
			 Portavogie   
			 Catching 19 215 19 213 24 204 
			 Processing and marketing 120 95 120 110 125 115 
			 Others 16 36 16 40 19 43 
			 Total 155 346 155 363 168 362 
			
			 North Coast   
			 Catching 15 21 17 19 11 20 
			 Processing and marketing 21 89 21 89 17 95 
			 Others 7 25 8 25 12 56 
			 Total 43 135 46 133 40 171 
			
			 All ports   
			 Catching 74 612 46 513 43 568 
			 Processing and marketing 235 890 225 837 211 701 
			 Others 42 172 34 180 40 200 
			 Total 351 1,674 305 1,530 294 1,469 
		
	
	
		
			  2003 2004 
			  Part-time Full-time Part-time Full-time 
		
		
			 Ardglass 
			 Catching 10 91 5 89 
			 Processing and  marketing 5 129 0 134 
			 Others 2 16 0 23 
			 Total 17 236 5 246 
			  
			 Kilkeel 
			 Catching 0 190 (35)50 250 
			 Processing and  marketing 51 387 45 384 
			 Others 3 61 4 55 
			 Total 54 638 49 689 
			  
			 Portavogie 
			 Catching 24 156 24 176 
			 Processing and  marketing 96 127 68 174 
			 Others 21 39 18 28 
			 Total 141 322 110 378 
			  
			 North Coast 
			 Catching 6 21 5 20 
			 Processing and  marketing 7 77 7 70 
			 Others 3 31 1 30 
			 Total 16 129 13 120 
			  
			 All ports 
			 Catching 40 458 84 535 
			 Processing and  marketing 159 720 120 762 
			 Others 29 147 23 136 
			 Total 228 1,325 227 1,433 
		
	
	(35)includes 30 seasonal staff.
	Note:
	Others" includes harbour jobs, boat building and chandlery supplies.

Shellfish and Whitefish

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much and what value of (a) shellfish and (b) whitefish was exported from Northern Ireland to EU countries outside the UK in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: Records are not kept in respect of Northern Ireland exports and to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	However, data is held for the UK as a whole, including Northern Ireland. Tables showing the UK exports of shellfish and whitefish species to EU countries over the last five years have been placed in the Library.

Social Deprivation

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the review of the boundaries of the Noble indices on social deprivation will be published.

Ian Pearson: Following a consultation exercise last year, a blueprint document detailing the indicators and methods to be used in producing the new measures of deprivation has been published on the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency website. The final report from the Noble team, incorporating the actual measures of deprivation, is currently planned for publication in late May 2005.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to contribute effectively to the British-Irish Council;
	(2)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to contribute effectively to the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference;
	(3)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build and sustain confidence in the effectiveness and efficiency of the police service;
	(4)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build and sustain confidence in the police oversight and accountability arrangements in Northern Ireland;
	(5)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase confidence in the police throughout all parts of the community by 3 per cent. by April 2008 will be met;
	(6)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build and sustain confidence in the criminal justice system;
	(7)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build a criminal justice system that is effective, efficient and responsive;
	(8)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase confidence in the criminal justice system throughout all parts of the community by 3 per cent. by April 2008 will be met;
	(9)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to uphold and maintain the rule of law;
	(10)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build a legislative and strategic framework that takes account of the need to secure justice and the rights of the individual;
	(11)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build a legislative and strategic framework that provides for a sufficient counter-terrorist capability;
	(12)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to build a legislative and strategic framework that seeks to minimise the potential for, and causes and effects of, public order disturbances and community strife;
	(13)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to lessen the impact of crime;
	(14)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to develop policies to prevent or reduce the threat of crime;
	(15)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to develop policies to provide support for the victims of crime;
	(16)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce domestic burglary by 2 per cent. by April will be met;
	(17)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the Public Service Agreement target to reduce domestic burglary by 15 per cent. by April 2007 will be met;
	(18)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce the theft of vehicles by 6 per cent. by April will be met;
	(19)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce the theft of vehicles by 10 per cent. by April 2007 will be met;
	(20)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce theft from vehicles by 6 per cent. by April will be met;
	(21)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce theft from vehicles by 10 per cent. by April 2007 will be met;
	(22)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce the rate of reconviction by 5 per cent. compared to the predicted rate by 2008 will be met;
	(23)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to ensure that the supervisory and custodial sentences imposed on offenders by the courts are delivered appropriately to protect the people of Northern Ireland;
	(24)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to ensure that the supervisory and custodial sentences imposed on offenders by the courts are delivered appropriately to reduce the risk of re-offending;
	(25)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to ensure that the annual cost per prisoner place in Northern Ireland falls to £82,500 by 2007–08 will be met;
	(26)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to ensure that the annual cost per prisoner place in Northern Ireland falls to £86,290 by 2005–06 will be met;
	(27)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to ensure that the annual cost per prisoner place in Northern Ireland falls to £85,250 by 2006–07 will be met;
	(28)  recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase Catholic representation in the police service to 30 per cent. by December 2010 will be met;
	(29)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase Catholic representation in the police service to 18.5 per cent. by March 2006 will be met;
	(30)  whether the public service agreement target to increase Catholic representation in the police service to 13.5 per cent. by March 2004 will be met;
	(31)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to secure a lasting peace in Northern Ireland;
	(32)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to encourage political development in Northern Ireland.

Paul Murphy: In common with the other Whitehall Departments, the Northern Ireland Office reports progress against the targets and objectives in the public service agreement (PSA) in its Departmental Report and Autumn Performance Report. In the 2004 Spending Review PSA, the NIO agreed seven main objectives and, within these, four key target areas which commit it to a specified level of performance or achievement. Since the SR2004 PSA commences in April 2005 no material is available to monitor progress against these targets. However the Department has provided extensive public information on progress against the PSA targets agreed as part of the SR2002 settlement. Because the targets are clearly measurable they are reported on in detail in the Departmental Report and Autumn Performance Report. Progress against objectives is reported on in more general terms.
	The NIO's 2005 Departmental Report is in draft and will be published soon on a date to be set by HM Treasury. It will provide detail on the targets and give information on performance to the end of the SR2002 PSA period. It and the Autumn Performance Report are available from the Stationery Office or on the NIOs website (http://www.nio.gov.uk). In addition, HM Treasury's performance website (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/performance/index/cfm) currently reports specifically on performance against the targets in the SR2002 PSA and will be updated regularly to report on SR2004 PSA targets.
	Autumn Performance Report are available from the Stationery Office or on the NIOs website (http://www.nio.gov.uk). In addition, HM Treasury's performance website (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/performance/index/cfm) currently reports specifically on performance against the targets in the SR2002 PSA and will be updated regularly to report on SR2004 PSA targets.

Water Charging

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what comparative studies have been carried out by his Department into the proposed water charging system for Northern Ireland and those operated in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

John Spellar: In developing water and sewerage charging options for Northern Ireland, careful consideration was given to the existing regimes in Great Britain. As in the rest of the United Kingdom, the proposed self-financing arrangements will mean that customers' bills will, in general terms, reflect the costs which that customer imposes on the water and sewerage systems for a supply of clean water and the disposal of dirty water. Details of the approach taken to developing the proposed water and sewerage charging regime are set out in the Integrated Impact Assessment Policy Proposals Paper published on 29 November 2004 http://www.waterreformni.gov.uk/consult2004.asp
	In England and Wales, unmeasured domestic charges, in general, consist of a standing charge and a charge based on the property's rateable value. It is proposed in Northern Ireland that charges will consist of a standing charge and a charge based on the property's capital value—which will be the basis for calculating domestic rates in NI from 1 April 2007. In Scotland unmeasured charges are based on the council tax band which, in turn, is based on the property's capital value.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Catering

George Osborne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many departmental (a) canteens and (b) bars there are; and how much has been spent on the (i) running, (ii) staffing and (iii) supply costs of each in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: There are currently three staff canteens and no bars on the Cabinet Office's central London estate. There are two canteens and two bars at the Centre for Management and Policy Studies (CMPS) College residential training centre in Berkshire and one canteen at the non-residential training centre in London. The Emergency Planning College (EPC), who transferred to the Cabinet Office in June 2001, has a canteen and bar at its residential training centre in York. The Cabinet Office's sole Executive Agency, The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA), has one canteen at its London Headquarters.
	Since 2002, canteen facilities at the Cabinet Office's central London estate have been provided on a nil subsidy basis by the Cabinet Office's Total Facilities Management provider. Prior to 2002 there was only one staff canteen and no bars. Spending on specific running, staffing and supply costs in each year since 1997 and prior to 2002 cannot be readily retrieved and separately identified without incurring disproportionate costs.
	Canteen and bar facilities at the CMPS Colleges and the EPC are provided as part of a PPP/PFI and Facilities Management contract, respectively. Specific spending on running, staffing and supply costs cannot be readily retrieved and separately identified without incurring disproportionate costs.
	For 2002–03 and 2003–04, the GCDA incurred expenditure of £35,000 in each year for the running of its canteen. Spending on specific running, staffing and supply costs prior to 2002–03 cannot be readily retrieved without incurring disproportionate costs.

Intestacy

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people in the Duchy died intestate in 2003–04.

Alan Milburn: During the calendar year of 2003, there were 354 intestate cases reported to the Duchy of Lancaster. Similarly, in the year 2004, 291 cases were reported.

Job Relocation

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he has taken to co-ordinate Government policy on whether Government-funded agencies compete to attract jobs from less wealthy parts of the UK.

Alan Milburn: None.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) executive agencies within the remit of the Cabinet Office have regional offices based on the Government Offices for the Regions' regional structure; and when the regional offices were established in each case.

David Miliband: None of Cabinet Office's non-departmental public bodies or executive agencies have regional offices based on the Government Offices for the Regions' regional structure.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to promote standards that ensure good governance, including adherence to the ministerial and civil service codes;
	(2)  whether the public service agreement target to achieve a 2.5 per cent. efficiency saving each year on administrative resources was met in 2004;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to achieve a 2.5 per cent. efficiency saving each year on administrative resources will be met in 2005;
	(4)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to co-ordinate security, intelligence and civil contingencies matters to protect the UK against disruptive challenges;
	(5)  what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to improve services by working with departments to embed the four principles of public service reform.

David Miliband: The Cabinet Office's role is outlined in our public service agreement (PSA). Work in support of the Cabinet Office objectives and targets included in the PSA is accounted for in the departmental report, autumn performance report and the annual report and resource accounts, all of which are published annually.
	The latest assessment of progress against the Cabinet Office's PSA targets was made in the 2004 autumn performance report (Cm 6414). The next assessment will be made in the 2005 departmental report, due to be published later this spring.
	Copies of the publications referred to are available in the Library of the House.

Transport Subsidies

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps he has taken to co-ordinate Government policy in relation to subsidy to (a) airports, (b) ports and (c) passenger ferries across the UK; what his objectives were; and what the outcome of his action was.

Alan Milburn: None.

HEALTH

Ambulance Response Times

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average response time for ambulances attending 999 calls was in (a) Suffolk and (b) England in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally in the format requested. Data on response times for East Anglian Ambulance Service National Health Service trust and for all ambulance services in England is shown in the table.
	Data is only available from the date trusts introduced call prioritisation. East Anglian Ambulance Service introduced call prioritisation in 2000–01. All ambulance services in England had introduced call prioritisation by 2001–02.
	Further information can be found in the statistical bulletin, Ambulance services, England: 2003–04." A copy is available in the Library and on the Department's website at www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0411.htm
	
		
			  East Anglian England 
		
		
			 Percentage of category A calls responded within eight minutes 
			 1997–98 n/a n/a 
			 1998–99 n/a n/a 
			 1999–2000 n/a n/a 
			 2000–01 53.0 n/a 
			 2001–02 63.8 70.8 
			 2002–03 75.2 74.6 
			 2003–04 76.1 75.7 
			
			 Percentage of category A calls responded within 14 to 19 minutes 
			 1997–98 n/a n/a 
			 1998–99 n/a n/a 
			 1999–2000 n/a n/a 
			 2000–01 95.7 n/a 
			 2001–02 95.7 94.1 
			 2002–03 96.9 94.6 
			 2003–04 96.6 93.9 
			
			 Percentage of category B/C calls responded within 14 to 19 minutes 
			 1997–98 n/a n/a 
			 1998–99 n/a n/a 
			 1999–2000 n/a n/a 
			 2000–01 95.3 — 
			 2001–02 94.8 90.2 
			 2002–03 94.4 89.6 
			 2003–04 93.0 87.5 
			
			 Percentage of urgent journeys with arrival time not more than 15 minutes late 
			 1997–98 83.1 88.0 
			 1998–99 73.0 84.0 
			 1999–2000 68.7 80.5 
			 2000–01 75.4 78.8 
			 2001–02 80.1 78.5 
			 2002–03 85.9 78.0 
			 2003–04 93.1 78.1 
		
	
	n/a=not available.

Avian Flu

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to deal with (a) disruption of the supply of essential medicines and (b) health care workers falling ill in an avian flu pandemic.

Melanie Johnson: As part of their ongoing local planning, national health service trusts have put measures in place to deal with these issues. The United Kingdom influenza pandemic contingency plan sets out a framework for trusts to ensure their plans are suitable for an influenza pandemic.

Cleaning and Hygiene

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total expenditure by NHS hospitals on cleaning in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: Collection of information on the total amount that national health service organisations spend on cleaning began in 2000. The details for the financial years since then are shown in the following table.
	
		£ million
		
			  Total expenditure on cleaning services 
		
		
			 2000–01 403 
			 2001–02 418 
			 2002–03 460 
			 2003–04 493

Counter Fraud and Security Management Service

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many assaults on NHS staff have been reported to the Counter Fraud and Security Management Service under the national reporting system; and what proportion of these assaults have results in criminal prosecutions.

Rosie Winterton: A national reporting system for physical assaults against national health service staff has been put in place and will be fully operational by summer 2005; after which the data collected will be evaluated and made available.

Counter Fraud and Security Management Service

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) investigations and (b) investigations specifically relating to timesheet fraud by bank and agency staff the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service and its predecessor, the NHS Counter Fraud Service, have conducted since September 1998; and how many of these investigations resulted in (i) unsuccessful criminal prosecutions, (ii)successful criminal prosecutions and (iii) civil and disciplinary cases.

Rosie Winterton: The total number of investigations completed by the national health service counter fraud and security management service since September 1998 is 2,096.
	The number of investigations specifically relating to timesheet fraud by bank and agency staff is 120. Fraud was found to be present in 43 cases and not present in 77cases. A breakdown of sanctions applied in relation to timesheet fraud is listed as follows:
	One case was found not guilty.
	33 cases resulted in successful criminal prosecutions.
	19 cases resulted in disciplinary sanctions.
	Six cases resulted in a civil recovery.
	The total figure is greater than 43, as criminal, civil and disciplinary sanctions were applied jointly in cases where that was appropriate.

Cross-border Tracking

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what cross-border tracking of (a) adults and (b) children with (i) mental health and (ii) general health problems takes place between health authorities in England and Wales.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 March 2005
	In general terms, the primary care trust or local health board in whose area a patient is registered with a general practitioner (GP) practice will have responsibility for commissioning his or her care, regardless of what particular health problems he or she might have. When a patient moves across the border between England and Wales, we would expect that person to register with a GP practice at their earliest convenience, which then determines the authority responsible for their care. Their records will then be transferred to the new practice.
	Some adults who have been in contact with mental health services will be subject to the multi-agency public protection panel arrangements. The arrangements for the tracking of individuals considered a risk to the public are detailed in paragraphs 76 and 77 of Probation Circular 54/2004, The MAPPA Guidance". This places the responsibility firmly on the responsible authorities (the relevant police and probation services) initiating the transfer to ensure that the receiving authorities have both the information and the time to put suitable arrangements into place. The arrangements for moves between Wales and England are the same as those between English regions. Health bodies have a duty to cooperate with police and probation services in making these arrangements function effectively.

Dementia

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether free prescriptions are available for people who suffer from dementia; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: We have no plans to extend the existing list of medical conditions that give exemption from prescription charges. The list has been reviewed on a number of occasions but no clear cut case for extending it has emerged. There is no consensus on what additional conditions might be included in any revised list of medical exemptions, or how distinctions could be drawn between one condition and another. Those dementia sufferers who are aged 60 or over are currently entitled to free prescriptions on the ground of age.

Dentistry

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Westbury of 1 February 2005, Official Report, column 887W, on NHS Business Services Directory, what assessment he has made of the effects of the delay in implementation of the NHS dental contract on the merger of the Dental Practice Board into the proposed NHS Business Services Authority; and what the aims of establishing the new arm's length body are;
	(2)  whether any of the £368 million additional funding promised for dentistry will be used to pay for the merger of the Dental Practice Board into the proposed NHS Business Services Authority.

Rosie Winterton: holding answers 28 February and 1 March 2005
	The £368 million additional investment, which we announced on 16 July 2004, is for the development of national health service dentistry. The funding of the Department's arms length bodies, including the dental practice board (DPB), is from a separate source. The Department is working closely with the DPB to assess the impact of the rescheduled timetable for implementation of the new contractual arrangements for dentists on its operations. Plans are in place for the DPB to transfer the staff to the new Business Services Authority who will be required to deal with the expected workload. The NHS Pensions Agency, the Prescription Pricing Authority and the DPB will merge to create a new payment and transactions processing entity. The new body will be able to develop general business skills, drawing on the best practice of each of the constituent bodies.

Departmental Policies (Birmingham)

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Birmingham, Northfield constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on Birmingham Northfield constituency.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all parts of the United Kingdom. There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Birmingham Northfield constituency.
	For example:
	At the end of December 2004, the number of people waiting more than nine months for In-patient treatment within the South Birmingham Primary Care Trust (PCT) has fallen to zero, from 165 in June 2002.
	At the end of December 2004, the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for Out-patient treatment within South Birmingham PCT has fallen to two, from 620 in June 2002.
	In June 2003, at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, 90.4 per Cent., of patients spent less than four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. Figures for September 2004 show an improvement to 96.7 per cent.
	Between September 1997 and June 2004, the number of consultants at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust has increased from 204 to 290. Between September 1997 and September 2003, the number of nurses has increased from 1,635 to 2,199.
	Between September 2001 and June 2004, the number of general medical practitioners within South Birmingham PCT has increased from 262 to 293.
	Figures for December 2004 show that all patients within South Birmingham PCT are able to be offered an appointment with a general practitioner within two working days and a primary care professional within one working day.
	South Birmingham PCT is a Spearhead" PCT. The Spearhead" group of local authorities and PCTs will be used to assess the achievement of the Government targets to address geographical inequalities in life expectancy, cancer, heart disease, stroke and related diseases in 2010.
	Four linear accelerators are due be delivered to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in March 2005.

Diamorphine

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 27 January 2005, Official Report, column 549W, on diamorphine, how many general practitioners are licensed to prescribe diamorphine for the treatment of drug addiction; and how many were licensed to do so in 1997.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 27 January 2005, Official Report, column 549W. The policy operated by the Home Office, which issues the licences and my Department is generally to restrict the issue of licenses to consultant psychiatrists in charge of national health service addiction treatment clinics. From time to time, it has been deemed appropriate to extend licensing to general practitioners with demonstrable special skills in the field when they are acting under the supervision of a consultant.
	I understand the information requested on precise numbers of such general practitioners licensed to prescribe diamorphine for the treatment of drug addiction is not readily available and could not be obtained without disproportionate cost.

East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey PCT

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey primary care trust spent on mental health services in each of the past three years.

Rosie Winterton: Expenditure on the commissioning of mental illness services by the East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey primary care trust (PCT) is shown in the following table. The PCT was established on 1 April 2002; therefore figures are only available for two years.
	
		£000
		
			  Amount 
		
		
			 2002–03 38,142 
			 2003–04 25,126 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.The mental illness expenditure reported is the expenditure of the PCTs on the commissioning of secondary mental illness services from national health service bodies. This does not include all the relevant expenditure which cannot be separately identified centrally.
	2.The figures do not include commissioning of mental illness services from independent providers. This expenditure is included within the commissioning of social care and cannot be separately analysed between mental illness, learning disability and similar services. Over the two years, there has been a £28.5 million increase in independent sector commissioning.
	3.The figures are not comparable between PCTs and between years. There are a number of factors which may distort the figures, including PCTs commissioning on behalf of others, the devolution of mental illness budgets by health authorities and the increase in provision by the independent sector.
	Sources:
	Audited summarisation schedules of the East Elmbridge and Mid Surrey PCT, 2002–03 and 2003–04.

Eating Disorders

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what treatment is available on the NHS for people with eating disorders.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the location and type of service provided for people with eating disorders is not collected nationally. General services for people with eating disorders are normally available locally in primary and/or secondary care as a component of mental health service provision. Primary care trusts (PCTs), working in partnership, may also commission tertiary specialised services for those with the most severe conditions where planning is needed for a population considerably larger than that of a single PCT.
	Clinical guidelines, published in 2004 by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, are available on the range of effective treatments for people with eating disorders and the national specialised services definition set contains information on commissioning tertiary services. A group led by the national director for mental health is currently reviewing the national specialised services definition set with a view to publishing updated guidance later this year.

Eating Disorders

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were receiving treatment for eating disorders on the latest date for which figures are available, broken down by sex.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not available in the requested format. It is only available concerning those patients with eating disorders treated by a consultant medical practitioner. It is not available for those seen by other professionals.
	In 2003–04, there were 1,690 finished consultant episodes in national health service hospitals in England for people with a primary diagnosis of eating disorders, of which eight per cent, were male 1 . The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 diagnostic fields in the hospital episode statistics (HES) data set and illustrates the main reason for the admission.
	Finished consultant episodes are a count of the number of HES records submitted on behalf of English NHS hospital providers that relate to episodes of in-patient care which ended during the HES year. These figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
	Note:
	1 Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data is ungrossed).

Eating Disorders

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of people in England who have eating disorders but who are not registered as receiving treatment.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not centrally available. However, we are aware that a considerable volume of independent research exists relating to the epidemiology of eating disorders, their prevalence, severity and the most effective treatments. We commissioned the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) to develop a guideline on the management of eating disorders and their guidance, published in 2004, which contains useful information on all aspects of these important conditions. This guidance is available on the NICE website at www.nice.org.uk.

Fluoridation

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the Government's response to the consultation on water fluoridation.

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to table statutory instruments which will permit strategic health authorities to hold a local ballot on fluoridation.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 1 March 2005
	On 23 February, I laid before Parliament draft regulations on the consultations, which strategic health authorities would be required to undertake if they proposed to enter into, vary, maintain or terminate arrangements with a water undertaker to increase the fluoride content of the water supplied by the undertaker. The draft took account of the consultations the Department undertook in 2004.

Frenchay Hospital

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are covenants relating to land owned by the national health service on the Frenchay Hospital site which restrict the use of that land; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: This is a matter for North Bristol national health service trust. I am informed by the Trust that although there are a number of planning restrictions, such as listed buildings, there are no restrictive covenants on the registered title.

Healthcare Commission Inspections

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether independent providers of care paid for by the NHS will be inspected by the Healthcare Commission under the same regime as (a) NHS providers and (b) other private providers.

Stephen Ladyman: holding answer 4 March 2005
	national health service healthcare delivered by the NHS or on its behalf by independent providers is subject to the provisions of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003, including inspection by the Healthcare Commission.
	Organisations providing independent healthcare continue to be subject to the provisions of the Care Standards Act 2000, which include registration and inspection by the Healthcare Commission, taking account of the National Minimum Standards for independent healthcare.

Healthy Eating

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Advertising Standards Agency on implementing in food advertising the recommendations of the Health Select Committee Report on Obesity.

Melanie Johnson: The Secretary of State has not had any such discussions with the Advertising Standards Authority.

Healthy Eating

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with fast food companies on the promotion of healthy eating.

Melanie Johnson: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, met with representatives of the British Hospitality Association, jointly with my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport and representatives of the National Farmers Union, the British Retail Consortium, the Food and Drink Federation and the Advertising Association in early autumn 2004 to discuss their proposal to work with Government in developing healthy eating education campaigns.

Information for Patients

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether under his proposals for patient choice information will be available for patients on (a) cleanliness, (b) infection rates, (c) success of specific treatments, (d) individual consultants' performance and (e) patient satisfaction rates at (i) NHS hospitals and (ii) independent hospitals or treatment centres providing care paid for by the NHS.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 March 2005
	The Department is enhancing the website www.nhs.uk to provide both patients and general practitioners with easily accessible, comparative information about providers on waiting times, accessibility and quality and performance. This information will be drawn from the Healthcare Commission's star ratings on clinical quality and patient experience. In addition, the British Medical Journal's Best Treatments" series of elective surgery guides are available free of charge through NHS Direct Online.
	Consultation with patients and clinicians has suggested that a wider range of data, and data relating to clinical effectiveness and outcomes may be helpful to inform choice. The Department is taking forward work in developing additional information sets in consultation with key stakeholders.
	Information on Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus"(MRSA) bloodstream infections is currently available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/PublicationsStatisticsArticle/fs/en? CONTENTJD=4085951&chk=HBt2QD.
	Mandatory national surveillance has been in place since April 2001 and information for the last three years is available for all acute trusts in England.
	Comparable information on these indicators will be available for independent sector providers and is likely to draw on the existing arrangements for contract monitoring.

Kent Autistic Trust

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional financial support he plans to give to the Kent Autistic Trust from April.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no plans to provide financial support to the Kent Autistic Trust from April.
	The Department is only able to provide financial support to voluntary organisations through the Section64: General Scheme of Grants to Voluntary Organisations. No Section64 application was received from the Kent Autistic Trust for the 2005–06 round.

Leicester Royal Infirmary (A and E Admissions)

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many admissions to the Leicester Royal Infirmary Accident and Emergency Department were found to be related to alcohol consumption in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 28 February 2005, Official Report, column 977W.

Meat Hygiene

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1) what statistics are collected by the Meat Hygiene Service to monitor the number of carcasses presented for inspection with visible faecal contamination which require subsequent removal by trimming;
	(2)  what procedures are in place to ensure that the Meat Hygiene Service accurately records the number of carcasses presented for inspection at UK meat plants which are visibly faecally contaminated and subsequently need to be trimmed to remove that contamination;
	(3)  how many carcasses, in each year between 1995 and 2004 were (a) rejected in their entirety as unfit for human consumption at inspection by the Meat Hygiene Service and (b) rejected at inspection by the Meat Hygiene Service as requiring trimming to remove faecal contamination before being passed fit for human consumption.

Melanie Johnson: I am advised that the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS)—which only operates in Great Britain: separate arrangements apply in Northern Ireland—does not collate statistics relating to visible faecal contamination of meat. It does, however, require its staff, through instructions contained in the MHS operations manual, to record incidences whereby visible contamination of meat—which includes faecal contamination but also other substances such as rust, grease and hair—has led to its rejection. The records for 2001 to 2004 are shown in table 1. Statistics relating to previous years are not readily available.
	
		Table 1
		
			  Recorded incidences of visible contamination 
			 Category 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Bovines(36) 136,170 160,350 146,631 150,824 
			 Sheep and goats 661,808 749,886 631,548 648,972 
			 Pigs 411,741 400,007 313,222 322,455 
			 Poultry 429,103 499,662 531,690 669,039 
			 Other 6,143 6,493 2,876 2,255 
		
	
	(36)These figures do not include bovines processed under the over thirty months scheme, as these are not processed for human consumption.
	Figures for the total number of carcases rejected in their entirety as being unfit for human consumption at inspection by the MHS in Great Britain in 2001 to 2004 are shown in table 2. Statistics relating to previous years are not available.
	
		Table 2
		
			  Year 
			  2001 2002 2003 2004 
			 Category Total throughput Rejected Total throughput Rejected Total throughput Rejected Total throughput Rejected 
		
		
			 Bovines(37) 1,770,777 1,426 1,879,052 4,034 1,883,789 1,726 1,941,207 2,292 
			 Sheep and goats 12,313,453 10,180 14,661,441 23,921 14,640,154 19,552 14,931,184 18,166 
			 Pigs 9,583,116 22,226 9,352,828 27,864 8,050,382 26,621 7,948,541 29,206 
			 Poultry 795,392,486 637,440 781,596,517 2,323,987 786,947,608 1,657,446 788,975,131 2,092,945 
			 Other 840,519 10,820 1,117,071 14,332 1,388,894 16,478 2,063,935 26,680 
		
	
	(37)These figures do not include bovines processed under the over thirty months scheme, as these are not processed for human consumption.

Mental Health

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis funding for mental health services is calculated; and what assessment is made of local needs when making that calculation.

Rosie Winterton: The Department allocates revenue funding to primary care trusts on the basis of the relative needs of their populations.
	It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use these funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.

Mental Health

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set for trusts regarding mental health provision.

Rosie Winterton: The national service framework (NSF) for mental health, published in 1999, sets out the national standards for mental health, what they aim to achieve, how they should be developed and delivered and how to measure performance in every part of the country. Following this, the NHS plan, published in 2000, set plans and targets for investment and reforms in the national health service in England. In addition, the priorities and planning framework, published in 2002, sets out detailed targets for the next three years—2003–06. Both these documents include targets for mental health service provision.
	Copies of these publications are available in the Library and on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/fs/en.

Ministerial Stationery

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on official ministerial (a) business cards, (b) headed paper and (c) compliment slips in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's accounting system does not provide the level of detail requested.

Multiple Sclerosis

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the impact upon multiple sclerosis therapy centres of the Health and Safety Commission's recent decision to raise the cost of annual inspections.

Stephen Ladyman: The Written Ministerial Statement that was made to the House on Tuesday 8 February, Official Report, columns 76–78WS, outlined the increases in registration and inspections fees that will be levied by the Healthcare Commission, from 1 April 2005, as regulator of the independent healthcare sector. It is firm Government policy that we should move to a position where the recurrent costs of providing regulation are fully recovered from all service providers, so that the future care needs of the country can be met. The fee increases for 2005–06 are part of this process.
	Nevertheless, the Government are committed to tackling the issue of overall regulation costs, which will ultimately limit what service providers will pay in the future. We are also working with the Commission to ensure that its inspection services are provided as cost-effectively as possible.

NHS Estate

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish annual figures on the numbers of (a) primary care centres completed and (b) general practitioner premises modernised.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the table. It shows the cumulative number of one-stop centres built and general practitioner premises replaced and modernised as at 31 December in each year since 2000–01.
	The information was not collected centrally prior to that date.
	
		
			One-stop centres completed or under construction GP premises refurbishments/replacements completed or under construction 
		
		
			 December 2001 68 916 
			 December 2002 219 1,393 
			 December 2003 268 1,950

North Bristol NHS Trust

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent staff are employed by North Bristol NHS Trust; and how many members of staff are employed in each role within the Trust.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		National health service hospital, public health medicine and community health services (HCHS): Medical and dental staff by grade and non-medical staff by main staff group employed within North Bristol NHS Trust
		
			 As at 30 September 2003 Number full-time equivalent 
		
		
			 Total staff 6,768 
			   
			 All medical and dental staff 649 
			 Of which:  
			 Consultant 227 
			 Associate specialist/staff grade 32 
			 Registrar group 157 
			 Senior house officer 184 
			 House officer 44 
			 Hospital practitioner/clinical assistant 5 
			 Other staff 2 
			   
			 Total non-medical staff 6,119 
			 Of which:  
			 Professionally qualified clinical staff 3,055 
			 Qualified nurses 2,099 
			 Qualified ST and T staff 957 
			 Qualified allied health professionals 320 
			 Other qualified ST and T staff 637 
			   
			 Support to clinical staff 1,593 
			 Support to doctors and nurses 1,268 
			 Support to ST and T total 325 
			   
			 NHS infrastructure support 1,470 
			 Central functions 689 
			 Hotel property and estate staff 573 
			 Managers and senior managers 208 
		
	
	Notes:
	ST and T—Scientific, therapeutic and technical.
	Source:
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.
	Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census.

Nurse Retention

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of nurses who trained in England continued to work in the national health service for five years in the last period for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally for England.
	Information for the other United Kingdom countries are matters for the devolved Administrations.

Obesity

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many surgical procedures to treat obesity were carried out on the NHS in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each strategic health authority in each year since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Obesity

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes there were for (a) paediatric and (b) adolescent obesity treatment in (i) England and (ii) each strategic health authority in each year since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Paddington Basin Health Campus

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his officials last met to discuss developments in the Paddington Health Campus project; and who was present at the meeting.

John Hutton: Senior officers from the Department met with officials from St Mary's National Health Service Trust, Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust and North West London strategic health authority on 2 March. The attendees were:
	Peter Coates—Deputy Director of finance—investment,
	John Bacon—Group Director of health and social care services delivery and the Department's management board member,
	Dr. Gareth Goodier—Chief Executive, North West London strategic health authority,
	Julian Nettel—Chief Executive, St Mary's NHS Trust, and
	Anthony Newman-Taylor—Acting Chief Executive Royal Brompton Harefield NHS Trust.

Paddington Basin Health Campus

John Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what investment in improved cardiothoracic facilities at Harefield Hospital he proposes to cover the unavailability of the planned new heart hospital at the Paddington Basin Health Campus.

John Hutton: The outline business case for the Paddington Health Campus (PHC) submitted to the Department in December 2004 explains that the Royal Brompton and Harefield national health service trust does not support the continuation of specialist services at Harefield Hospital under any future development plans should the PHC project not proceed. In such circumstances, detailed consideration would need to be given to the re-provision of Harefield's cardiothoracic services elsewhere.

Paddington Basin Health Campus

John Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money in total (a) his Department and (b) relevant NHS trusts will be devoting to the Paddington Health Campus in each financial year from 2005–06 to 2007–08.

John Hutton: Expenditure on the Paddington Health Campus in future years will be dependent upon approval of the outline business case (OBC) submitted in December 2004. An addendum to the OBC is currently being prepared by the Royal Brompton and Harefield and St. Mary's national health service trusts and will be submitted following agreement on a land deal. On the basis of the OBC being approved, annual project development costs for 2005–06 to 2007–08 are estimated to be in the region of £4-£5 million. In addition, there is likely to be significant expenditure associated with land acquisitions, disposals and town planning. Details of these costs will be included within the addendum to the OBC.

Paddington Basin Health Campus

John Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he deems that sufficient land is available to the NHS for the completion of the Paddington Basin Health Campus in its entirety.

John Hutton: The land needed for the Paddington Health Campus is agreed and identified. Terms for its purchase, acceptable to the national health service have not yet been agreed.

Parliamentary Questions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the projects being undertaken by his Department in respect of which information cannot be given in answer to parliamentary questions as a result of commercial confidentiality.

Rosie Winterton: A decision not to release information relating to any project as a result of commercial confidentiality is made on the basis of the specific request made in each parliamentary question.
	An assessment of commercial confidentiality may apply to specific elements within a project as well as to an entire project. It is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.

Public Health (Control of Disease) Act

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984.

Melanie Johnson: Getting Ahead of the Curve", the infectious disease strategy published by the Chief Medical Officer in January 2002, made clear the intention of reviewing infectious disease law. No specific timetable for the review has been set as yet: we have always intended that it should be carried out at the point when it can make the most effective contribution to improving the control and prevention of infectious disease.
	Our top priority, in terms of improving health protection, has been the legislation to establish the Health Protection Agency (HPA). It has existed since April 2003 as a special health authority in England and Wales and will be established from 1 April 2005 as a United Kingdom-wide public body under the Health Protection Agency Act 2004. As a result of the creation of the HPA, consultants in communicable disease control (who generally discharge the local authority proper officer" function under the 1984 Act) are in England all now employed by the HPA. This is an improvement on the previous position; when such consultants were in effect single-handed practitioners, each based in a local national health service body, which could offer them relatively little specialist support.
	In preparation for the planned review of the law, we asked the HPA last year to consider first how public health practitioners might make more effective use of the powers currently provided by the 1984 Act; and second, what difficulties practitioners find with the current powers and what changes might be desirable. We expect to receive the results of this work from the HPA in the first half of this year.
	We are contributing to the development of new International Health Regulations (IHR) by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The WHO aims to adopt the new IHR at the World Health Assembly in May 2005. Many of the requirements of the current IHR are reflected in regulations made under infectious disease law in the UK, which will need to be revised once the new IHR are in place. In the meantime, the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 has provided new emergency powers which complement those provided through public health legislation.
	We will take decisions on the timetable for the review of public health law in the light of the work being carried out by the HPA and of progress with agreeing and implementing the new IHR.

Regional Directors of Public Health

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the position of Regional Director of Public Health for each English region was established; what the totalbudget for their activities is; how many staff each office has; what their remit is; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 1 March 2005
	The position of Regional Directors of Public Health (RDsPH) was established in April 2002.
	The remit of RDsPH is to improve the health of the population within their regions, through reducing inequalities in health, protecting the health of the public and improving the standards and quality of services affecting determinants of health.
	Their responsibilities include work with other Government Departments, agencies, voluntary and business communities, nationally and regionally, to tackle the wider determinants of health. They ensure that health considerations are reflected in plans and programmes in areas such as housing, crime, education, transport and environmental planning and underpin economic and urban regeneration.
	Staff in post and budgets for each region for 2004–05 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Regional public health group Staff in post Budget (£ million) 
		
		
			 East of England 13 1.950 
			 London 14 6.135 
			 South East 16 4.076 
			 North East 16 2.092 
			 North West 17 5.273 
			 West Midlands 16 4.333 
			 East Midlands 16 3.380 
			 Yorks and Humber 17 2.321 
			 South West 16 4.414 
			 Total 141 33.980

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) Executive agencies within the remit of his Department have regional offices based on the Government offices for the regions regional structure; and when the regional offices were established in each case.

Rosie Winterton: The following two bodies for which the Department is responsible have regional offices covering the regional Government office areas:
	The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, the offices of which were established in 2003.
	The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), the offices of which were established on 1 April 2004. In addition to the eight regional offices covering the regional Government office areas, the CSCI has an additional office for the south-east region.

Renal Services

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department is publishing for primary care trusts on the implementation of the renal national service framework.

Rosie Winterton: It is for primary care trusts commissioning renal services to set priorities for local action based on the standards, quality requirements and markers of good practice set out in the national service framework for renal services. We are supporting local delivery through various programmes and national health service pilots, including redesigning the work force, re-engineering elective vascular access surgery, patient transport, care planning, end-of-life care and redesigning the built environment. We will share the results with the NHS as these programmes and pilots complete.

Renal Services

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether kidney patients awaiting vascular access surgery will be able to exercise patient choice; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The national service framework for renal services makes clear we are determined that kidney patients should have timely and appropriate surgery for permanent vascular access. Latest data for 2003–04 show the average time waited for vascular access surgery was 41 days. However, where, exceptionally, patients wait longer than six months on the waiting list, primary care trusts are responsible for offering choice of an alternative provider in line with the Department's Choice of Hospital" guidance.
	By the end of 2005, all patients will be able to choose from at least four or five different providers at the point of general practitioner referral.

Social Services Staff

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements he has made for (a) issuing advice and (b) monitoring practice in joint health social service care teams in connection with a common approach to human resource issues, with particular reference to (i)pay and conditions, (ii) pension entitlements and (iii)and access to training.

John Hutton: There are no central arrangements. It is the responsibility of the employers concerned to ensure that effective human resource management policies and practices are in place. Pay and conditions are negotiated locally for social services. The national training strategy grant and human resource development grant, paid by the Department to local authorities, is for use, at local discretion, to support human resource and training initiatives, with encouragement given to ensure that partners in the private and voluntary sector benefit.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the occasions between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004 when special advisers attended meetings with external representatives at which ministers were not present.

Rosie Winterton: All meetings held by special advisers and all speeches given by special advisers are conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers".

Speech Therapy

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many speech therapists have been working in the NHS in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		National health service hospital and community health services: qualified speech and language therapists employed in the NHS as at 30 September 1999 to 2003 -- Number
		
			  Headcount Whole-time equivalents 
		
		
			 1999 5,185 3,939 
			 2000 5,430 4,066 
			 2001 5,685 4,207 
			 2002 5,960 4,365 
			 2003 6,243 4,707 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census

Speech Therapy

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the most recent average waiting time for first referral for a patient to see a speech therapist is; and what changes have occurred to waiting times over the past five years.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Student Health Care

Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will estimate the cost of administering the processing of HC1 forms for students;
	(2)  if he will estimate the combined cost in a year of exempting all students from charges for prescription, dental care and eye tests.

Rosie Winterton: In 2003–04, the administrative cost of processing national health service low income scheme HC1 application forms received from students is estimated to have been about £714,000.
	It is estimated that it would cost about £85 million to exempt all part and full-time students in higher education aged 19 or over from charges for prescriptions, dental care and eye tests. This total figure includes the £4.25 million estimated value of exemptions to those students who are currently exempt.
	Students aged under 19 in full-time education are already entitled to free prescriptions, dental care, sight tests and optical vouchers.

Sudan 1

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1) what information the Government are providing to owners of smaller corner shops to help them identify the products that should be withdrawn from the shelves as a result of the Sudan 1 dye recall;
	(2)  what the reasons were for the delay between the notification to the Food Standards Agency of a potential problem with the Sudan 1 dye and the agency making a public announcement;
	(3)  what the total cost of the Sudan 1 dye recall is estimated to be.

Melanie Johnson: Full information has been made available on the Food Standards Agency's website of foods known to be contaminated with Sudan 1, and this was provided to a number of stakeholder organisations, including the Association of Convenience Stores, to distribute to their members. In addition, the FSA has asked all local authorities to contact food businesses in their area to ensure the recall has been effective.
	The FSA made a public announcement less than 24 hours after it received accurate and reliable information from the food industry on products contaminated with Sudan 1 dye.
	The FSA has not undertaken an assessment of the cost of the Sudan 1 recall.

Surplus Assets Sales

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department sold any surplus stockon the eBay auction website, in each year since 2000–01.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not disposed of any surplus stocks on the eBay auction website.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat recent assessment he has made of whether the Public Service Agreement target to reduce the under-18 conception rate by 50 per cent. by 2010 will be met.

Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families (Margaret Hodge) on Tuesday 8 March, Official Report, column 1785W.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the Public Service Agreement target to improve value for money in the NHS and personal social services by at least 2 per cent. per annum was met in 2004;
	(2)  whether the Public Service Agreement target to improve both cost efficiency and service effectiveness in the NHS and personal social services by 1 per cent. per annum was met in 2004.

John Hutton: Progress against value for money targets will be reported in the Department's annual report.

Trust Mergers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will list mergers of (a) NHS acute trusts and (b) primary care trusts which have (i) been proposed and (ii) taken place;
	(2)  what safeguards are in place to maintain the objectivity of merged acute trusts and primary care trusts when commissioning care from other acute trusts;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the benefits of merging acute and primary care trusts.

John Hutton: No acute trusts and primary care trusts have merged and the Department is unaware of any formal proposals to merge. Given this situation, the Department has not introduced safeguards to maintain objectivity and there has also been no formal assessment made of the benefits of merging acute and primary care trusts.

Trust Mergers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to merge (a) acute hospital trusts and (b) primary care trusts in Hampshire.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is not aware of any plans to merge acute trusts or primary care trusts in Hampshire.

Variant CJD

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2005, Official Report, column 1697W, on variant CJD, what monitoring is being undertaken by the Medical Research Council of the effectiveness of pentosan polysulphate in the treatment of variant CJD; and for what reasons pentosan polysulphate has not been included in the Prian-1 trial.

Melanie Johnson: In September 2001, the Department asked the Medical Research Council (MRC) to design a clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of quinacrine as a potential treatment for variant Creutzfeld Jacob disease (vCJD). Pentosan polysulphate was not included in the trial protocol because expert advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the CJD therapy advisory group in 2002 and again in 2003, did not support its use as a possible treatment for CJD on grounds of safety and efficacy. Both these expert committees will continue to review new data on pentosan polysulphate.
	At the request of the Department in December 2003, the MRC agreed to offer patients receiving pentosan polysulphate treatment the opportunity to participate in standardised clinical monitoring. It is for the MRC to decide, in consultation with the families concerned and their clinicians, what would be the most appropriate information to collect, and how it should be collected.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Affordable Housing

Martin Linton: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many affordable homes have been built in (a) London, (b) Wandsworth and (c) Battersea through the (i) Housing Corporation and (ii) Government-funded schemes since 2000.

Keith Hill: The total annual number of affordable homes provided since 2000–01 through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme (ADP) and Local Authority Social Housing Grant (LASHG) for London and Wandsworth are shown in the following table.
	
		Number
		
			  2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 London 
			 ADP 5395 6289 5501 7073 
			 LASHG 1450 1255 1061 755 
			  
			 Wandsworth  
			 ADP 94 130 116 108 
			 LASHG 11 0 4 0 
		
	
	Source:
	Housing Corporation. Figures include units provided for sale or rent. Also ADP homebuy from 2001–02. Figures exclude the Starter Homes Initiative.
	LASHG was abolished from 1 April 2003. Figures for 2003–04 are those completed through transitional LASHG arrangements for debt free and with debt authorities.
	All figures include acquisitions and refurbishments as well as new build. Figures are not available for Battersea.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent representations he has received in relation to changes in council tax banding.

Nick Raynsford: Records held by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister do not differentiate representations which relate to council tax banding from those which relate to other council tax matters. A precise figure could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Council Tax

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the forecast for council tax receipts in each London borough are for 2004–05.

Nick Raynsford: The available information is tabled as follows. These are the amounts of council tax budgeted to be received by London boroughs (including the City) for 2004–05, including amounts collected on behalf of the Greater London Authority, and amounts funded from council tax benefit.
	These figures do not include forecasts for the amounts to be received during 2004–05 relating to years before 2004–05, nor for prepayments of 2005–06 council taxes.
	
		£ million
		
			  2004–05 Council tax requirement for billing authority 2004–05 Billing authority's share of Greater London Authority council tax requirement Total 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 44.351 12.321 56.672 
			 Barnet 131.272 32.578 163.850 
			 Bexley 78.693 20.112 98.805 
			 Brent 83.363 22.358 105.721 
			 Bromley 104.061 31.425 135.486 
			 Camden 86.810 21.842 108.652 
			 City of London 3.436 0.275 3.711 
			 Croydon 113.940 29.754 143.694 
			 Ealing 106.685 27.092 133.777 
			 Enfield 101.443 25.725 127.168 
			 Greenwich 67.562 18.127 85.689 
			 Hackney 60.960 15.014 75.974 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 68.613 18.603 87.216 
			 Haringey 82.964 19.668 102.632 
			 Harrow 86.487 20.188 106.675 
			 Havering 90.261 20.891 111.152 
			 Hillingdon 91.949 22.781 114.730 
			 Hounslow 83.790 19.808 103.598 
			 Islington 66.678 18.577 85.255 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 67.769 22.947 90.716 
			 Kingston upon Thames 64.832 14.659 79.491 
			 Lambeth 77.916 23.239 101.155 
			 Lewisham 76.764 20.585 97.349 
			 Merton 69.343 17.286 86.629 
			 Newham 57.077 16.845 73.922 
			 Redbridge 79.072 21.184 100.256 
			 Richmond upon Thames 93.306 20.513 113.819 
			 Southwark 73.025 21.253 94.278 
			 Sutton 66.188 17.014 83.202 
			 Tower Hamlets 54.347 17.107 71.454 
			 Waltham Forest 73.158 17.596 90.754 
			 Wandsworth 40.322 27.058 67.380 
			 Westminster 44.195 29.315 73.510 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures shown include amounts funded from council tax benefit.
	Source:
	BR1 returns to ODPM

Council Tax

John McDonnell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will remove or reduce the requirement on residential boat owners to pay the full amount of council tax.

Nick Raynsford: No. A mooring occupied by a boat which is somebody's sole or main residence is deemed to be a dwelling" for council tax purposes and will therefore attract a council tax liability in the same way as other domestic types of property. The amount of council tax payable in respect of a mooring occupied by a boat will depend primarily on the valuation band to which the dwelling is assigned. The normal exemptions and discounts, for example for single occupancy, apply and council tax benefit is available for people on low incomes.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions his Department has held with the Scottish Executive on council tax revaluation in Scotland.

Nick Raynsford: Discussions about council tax revaluation between the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Scottish Executive have taken place from time-to-time as part of our liaison about local government finance issues of mutual interest.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions his Department has had with the National Assembly for Wales Government on council tax revaluation in Wales.

Nick Raynsford: Discussions about council tax revaluation between the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Welsh Assembly Government have taken place from time-to-time as part of our liaison about local government finance issues of mutual interest.

Departmental Policies

Geraint Davies: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Croydon Central, the effects of the Department's policies and actions on Croydon Central constituency since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Along with other Government Departments, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to improving the lives of people across the whole of the UK. For example, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is determined that everyone should have the opportunity to have a decent home, and since 1997 we have reduced the number of non-decent homes nationally by 1 million.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister provides grant funding that benefits the Croydon Central constituency through a number of programmes.
	For example over the period 2001–06 Croydon has been allocated £2.5 million Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) resources to help the local authority, in collaboration with the Local Strategic Partnership, improve services in the most deprived neighbourhoods in the area.
	More broadly, since 1997 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been able to increase the total amount of Government grant given to local authorities by £22.6 billion. This is a 33 per cent. increase in real terms. Croydon has received an average annual increase in formula grant since 1997 of 4.4 per cent.
	The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neihbourhood.statistics. gov.uk./

Departmental Policies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to Hemsworth constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on Hemsworth constituency.

Yvette Cooper: Along with other Government Departments, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to improving the lives of people across the whole of the UK. For example, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is determined that everyone should have the opportunity to have a decent home, and since 1997 we have reduced the number of non-decent homes nationally by one million.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister provides grant funding that benefits the Hemsworth constituency through a number of programmes.
	For example, over the period 2001–06 Wakefield has been allocated £18.9 million Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) resources to help the local authority, in collaboration with the Local Strategic Partnership, improve services in the most deprived neighbourhoods in the area.
	More broadly, since 1997 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been able to increase the total amount of government grant given to local authorities by £22.6 billion. This is a 33 per cent. increase in real terms. Wakefield metropolitan district council has received an average annual increase in formula grant since 1997 of 5.1 per cent.
	The Neighbourhood Statistics Service provides a wide range of statistical information at parliamentary constituency level, taken from the 2001 Census and other sources. This service is available on the National Statistics website at http://neighbourhood.statistics. gov.uk/

Disabled Facilities Grants

Alan Meale: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if his Department will bring forward proposals to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and transparency of disabled facilities grant application systems;
	(2)  how many applications were made for disabled facilities grants in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by region; and how many of those applications were successful, broken down by region;
	(3)  whether mortgage payments are taken into account when assessment is made of disabled facilities grant applications;
	(4)  what plans the Government has to increase the maximum level of disabled facilities grant;
	(5)  what the average time taken was for consideration of applications made for disabled facilities grants in each region in the last period for which figures are available;
	(6)  what assessment his Department has made of the abolition of the means testing of disabled facilities grant applications in Northern Ireland.

Yvette Cooper: The Government announced a review of the operation of the Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) programme on 5 January 2004. This review is now under way. Its terms of reference are to review the operation and outcomes of the Disabled Facilities Grant Programme and to make proposals to improve its efficiency and fairness. A number of financial and policy issues affecting the programme, including the operation of the means test and the maximum grant limit will be evaluated. Officials are due to report back to Ministers in May this year and any proposals for change will then be published for consultation.
	The DFG means test takes account of an applicant's income and capital over £6,000, but not of any financial outgoings such as mortgage payments. Instead total income is compared with a range of expenditure allowances and premiums which are up-rated periodically to keep them in line with increases in the cost of living. This is standard practice for many state benefits where a means test is applied.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not collect information on how many disabled people have applied for DFG, or the number of people waiting for DFG. We have not undertaken a formal assessment of the abolition of the DFG means test for families with a disabled child in Northern Ireland, but the effects of this change will be considered as part of the DFG Review.

Engagements

Robert Wareing: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the official visits made to Merseyside by Ministers in his Department between 1 January 2004 and 28 February, broken down by (a) date, (b) location and (c) the Ministers concerned.

Yvette Cooper: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Date Minister Location 
		
		
			 20 January 2004 Yvette Cooper Kensington and Albert Dock 
			 29 January 2004 Phil Hope Central Liverpool and Sefton 
			 2 February 2004 Keith Hill Newheartlands 
			 2 March 2004 Lord Rooker Sefton and Knowsley 
			 5 May 2004 Nick Raynsford Central Liverpool 
			 12 May 2004 Keith Hill Central Liverpool 
			 21 May 2004 John Prescott Central Liverpool 
			 15 June 2004 Nick Raynsford St. Helens 
			 8 September 2004 Keith Hill St. Helens 
			 17 November 2004 Nick Raynsford Central Liverpool 
			 8 December 2004 Keith Hill Central Liverpool and Sefton 
			 27 January 2005 Keith Hill Liverpool 
			 27 January 2005 John Prescott Albert Dock 
			 28 January 2005 John Prescott Central Liverpool 
			 28 February 2005 John Prescott St. Helens

English Partnerships

Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what reports his Department has received of English Partnerships acquiring land that might otherwise have been available for schemes that include a proportion of social rented housing.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is not aware of any acquisitions of land by English Partnerships which have prevented an already identified proportion of social rented housing being built on the site in question.
	A core part of English Partnerships work is to help deliver an increased level of affordable housing, and it will often work in partnership with the Housing Corporation, Registered Social Landlords, local authorities and private sector developers to increase the overall percentages of affordable housing on sites that English Partnerships has acquired under its programmes.

FOI Requests

Julian Lewis: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is in respect of the publication (a) on the departmental website and (b) by placing copies in the Library of (i) all or (ii) a selection of the information disclosed in response to Freedom of Information requests since January.

Yvette Cooper: Guidance on Publication Schemes, issued by the Department for Constitutional Affairs in July 2002, recommended that where information is disclosed to an individual in response to a request under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, Departments and NDPBs should consider whether the information disclosed is of general interest and include released information in the Publication Scheme where appropriate.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister aims to publish all responses to FOI requests where we judge there is a general public interest, as opposed to esoteric matters, or matters of interest only to the requester. Preparations are in hand to ensure that new information selected for publication will be identified in the FOI section of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website, and this will be listed by date of release.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no specific intention to publish material by placing copies in the library of the House, over and above material that we would normally publish in this way or, where appropriate, in answer to parliamentary questions.

Gypsies/Travellers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2005, Official Report, column 1083W, on Gypsies/Travellers, what the outturn expenditure by central Government on (a) authorised Traveller sites and (b) illegal Traveller encampments by the (i) Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions and (ii) Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions was in each year.

Yvette Cooper: The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 repealed the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's power to pay grant to local authorities to establish gypsy caravan sites, together with their duty to provide such sites. The then government committed to pay Grant funding for all valid applications received by November 1994. Under this regime the following payments were made:
	
		
			 Financial year Grant paid (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 3.8 
			 1998–99 0.9 
			 1999–2000 0.6 
		
	
	Since the creation of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in May 2002 it has provided the following funding to local authorities to enable them to renew and refurbish the existing network of local authority Gypsy and Traveller sites through its Gypsy Sites Refurbishment Grant:
	
		
			 Financial year Grant paid (£) 
		
		
			 2002–03 2,843,847 
			 2003–04 6,084,059 
			 2004–05 (38)7,739,726 
		
	
	(38)Allocated
	£8 million is available for the 2005–06 financial year.
	There was no outturn expenditure on illegal traveller encampments for this period. The costs associated with unauthorised camping are borne by individual local authorities or private landowners, rather than by central Government.
	A lack of sites Gypsies and Travellers has contributed to the problem of unauthorised developments and encampments. The Government are committed to increasing site provision in appropriate locations.

High Hedges

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the reasons are for the change in time scale for implementing the provisions of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 on high hedges; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Last summer's public consultation on implementing the high hedges provisions in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 identified a number of issues which have necessitated further work. These issues were the whole question of fees which a complainant must pay to the local authority for investigating their case anda streamlined appeals process which will place less of a burden on local authorities and the Planning Inspectorate. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently revising the Regulations and guidance for local authorities in the light of the consultation responses, with a view to laying Regulations before Parliament shortly.

Homelessness

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many families have claimed to be homeless in (a) London and (b) England in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people were homeless in (a) London and (b) England in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is collected quarterly and is in respect of households, rather than people. The number of decisions on applications for housing from households eligible under homelessness legislation for authorities in England and London, since 1997, is in the following tabled. Also shown is the number of these households who were accepted as unintentionally homeless and in priority need and how many of these households contained children/pregnant women.
	
		Decisions(39) by local authorities on applications for housing under homelessness legislation and the number of acceptances(40), England and London, 1997–98 to 2003–04 -- Number
		
			  England London 
			   Of which acceptances(40)  Of which acceptances(40) 
			  Decisions(39) Total With children/ pregnant women Decisions(39) Total With children/ pregnant women 
		
		
			 1997–98 243,730 102,430 70,370 55,170 24,300 16,830 
			 1998–99 244,830 104,260 72,040 56,990 26,580 18,760 
			 1999–2000 243,240 105,580 72,930 61,060 27,950 20,080 
			 2000–01 249,580 114,670 77,600 61,060 29,710 21,510 
			 2001–02 256,050 117,810 78,370 62,210 30,470 21,180 
			 2002–03 281,720 130,070 81,560 62,140 31,320 21,140 
			 2003–04 300,840 137,000 84,310 69,040 31,530 20,410 
		
	
	(39)Eligible for assistance.
	(40)Households eligible under homelessness legislation and found to be unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category.
	Source:
	ODPM PIE homelessness returns (quarterly)

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 21 February 2005, Official Report, column 336W, if he will list each location of the surplus public sector land that has been identified for affordable housing, broken down by (a) brownfield and (b) greenfield sites.

Keith Hill: Following the publication of the Sustainable Communities Plan (February 2003) effective arrangements have been established to identify land that becomes surplus to the public sector and to consider whether it has a continuing use within the public sector.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister through English Partnerships has set up the Register of surplus public sector land. The Register lists landholdings held by central Government and its agencies that are surplus to requirements. Any Department wishing to dispose of surplus land is required to place that land on the Register for a period of 40 working days before the land is marketed. The Register currently consists of over 800 parcels of land totalling almost 4000 hectares. The majority of the sites are brownfield and include previously developed land and buildings that are vacant or derelict and have the potential for redevelopment. The Register is currently being developed to allow on-line access by early April 2005 to central Government users. Brownfield and greenfield land will be easily identifiable. English Partnerships will publish a quarterly return of surplus sites on the Register.
	English Partnerships has also established an agreement with Defence Estates to work closely together on the future use of surplus defence land. This will allow Defence Estates to deliver its disposal programme and for English Partnerships to help deliver the objectives set out in the Government's Sustainable Communities Plan. English Partnerships acquired the former RAF staff college site from Defence Estates in February 2004. Housing proposals for this site are currently being taken forward.
	In April 2004 my right hon. the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Health announced that a portfolio of about 100 surplus NHS sites would be transferred to help deliver the objectives of the communities plan. We expect the first sites in this portfolio to be transferred to English Partnerships shortly. English Partnerships has also acquired a portfolio of surplus brownfield sites across London to provide 2000 affordable homes for sale out of a total development of about 4000 units. Development will start in 2005–06 and the homes will be delivered over the next five years.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and English Partnerships have now also published information on individual sites reported by local authorities for the National Land Use Database(NLUD) of Previously-Developed Land. The information is on the NLUD website www.nlud.org.uk.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister anticipates that a significant number of vacant surplus sites will be used for housing development to tackle the problem of housing shortages and the demand for affordable homes. This will be determined through local planning policies and strategies in the normal way.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will estimate the cost to public funds of restoring Right-to-Buy (a) discounts and (b) eligibility requirements to 1997 levels.

Keith Hill: I regret that it is not possible to provide such an estimate, which would depend on assumptions about the number of tenants who would have exercised their Right to Buy if the changes to maximum Right to Buy discounts in February 1999 and March 2003 had not been made. This means that the overall effect of the changes on tenants' perceptions and behaviour, and hence on the overall level of sales, the amount of discount for which they would have qualified, and the amount of capital receipts that would have generated cannot be assessed with any accuracy.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library the papers and representations that have been submitted to the Lyons Review into the balance of funding.

Nick Raynsford: The Lyons Inquiry into local government funding is independent of the Government. I understand that Sir Michael Lyons intends to make available the evidence that underpins his conclusions and recommendations once the report is published.

Local Government Finance

Robert Wareing: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much financial assistance his Department has provided to the City of Liverpool in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established following the Machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. The following table sets out the amounts of formula grant and other grants and payments made to the City of Liverpool by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister since 2002–03. For earlier years, the table shows the amounts paid by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's predecessor Departments from programmes which are now administered by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	
		All figures (£ million)
		
			   Formula grant(41) Other grants and payments 
		
		
			 1997–98 366.189 48.432 
			 1998–99 391.248 52.146 
			 1999–2000 411.313 48.103 
			 2000–01 426.739 58.102 
			 2001–02 446.374 53.447 
			 2002–03 448.008 81.152 
			 2003–04 493.998 135.683 
			 2004–05 (forecast) 517.006 126.134 
		
	
	(41)These figures may not be comparable year-on-year due to changes in the funding and function of local authorities.

Opinion Polling

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what contracts his Department has agreed with organisations for opinion polling and related research since June 2001.

Yvette Cooper: Full details of our research, since the creation of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in May 2002, is available on the Research Management Database on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website at: http://www.rmd.odpm.gov.uk/programmes.asp
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not carry out 'Opinion Polling' in the sense of asking people about their political opinion.

Opinion Polling

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  for what purposes NOP research was continued during the North East referendum campaign period; and whether the research findings accumulated before the official campaign period were made available to (a) the Yes campaign and (b) to Ministers;
	(2)  what advice he received from the Cabinet Office on spending public money on NOP World research in connection with the Your Say information campaign between June 2003 and September 2004;
	(3)  pursuant to his answer of 21 February 2005, Official Report, column 344W, on regional referendums, what the total cost to his Department was of the research conducted by NOP World; and what other expenditure was incurred by his Department on other research conducted by NOP during this period;
	(4)  whether the Electoral Commission was informed that the Government was using NOP World to conduct monthly tracking research in connection with the Your Say information campaign in the period up to and during the campaign on the North East referendum.

Nick Raynsford: As was made clear in the answer given to the hon. Member on 21 February 2005, Official Report, column 344W, the NOP World research was designed to measure the effect of the information campaign in raising awareness of the referendums. The research lasted the duration of the information campaign, which ended on 10 September 2004—28 days before the earliest date that postal ballot papers could be dispatched.
	The research was conducted in accordance with the requirements of guidance on the work of the Government Communication Network, produced by the Cabinet Office. No other advice was sought from, or given by, the Cabinet Office.
	As part of their role in the information campaign, Ministers in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister were aware of the results of the NOP World research. The results of the NOP World research were not made available by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to any campaign organisation, but were made available in the Library of the House on 21 February 2005.
	The Electoral Commission were aware that research was undertaken on the effect of the information campaign in raising awareness of the referendums.
	The cost of the research undertaken by NOP World research totalled £76,100
	Other research conducted by NOP Research Group Ltd. for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister since June 2003 is:
	1.Key public sector workers: exploring recruitment and retention issues and their housing preferences" (for the Analytical Services Research Programme).
	2.Survey of Small Businesses and Rate Relief" (for the ODPM Local and Regional Government Research Programme).

Park Ownership

Edward Davey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to promote non-council ownership of parks.

Phil Hope: Government are committed to improving all parks and green spaces regardless of ownership by promoting greater involvement at the local level in their long term management and maintenance. We are doing this through our Cleaner, Safer, Greener Communities programme and Local Government Strategy. As part of the latter, we have recently published a discussion document entitled 'Citizen Engagement and Public Services: Why Neighbourhoods Matter', which discusses a range of ideas for neighbourhood engagement, including possible community management and ownership of local assets, such as local parks.

Parliamentary Boundaries

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2005, Official Report, column 582W, whether it is the Government's intention to implement changes to parliamentary boundaries before the end of March.

Nick Raynsford: Any changes to parliamentary boundaries in Wales arising from the Boundary Commission's Report presented to my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister on 31 January, would come into effect at the first proclamation summoning a new parliament issued after the Order implementing the changes comes into force.

Planning

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how draft Planning Policy Statement 10 amends the planning process in relation to development on greenfield or green belt sites.

Keith Hill: The consultation draft of Planning Policy Statement 10 (PPS10) Planning for Sustainable Waste Management" sets out a search sequence to be adopted by waste planning authorities in preparing development plan documents that gives priority to the re-use of previously-developed land before greenfield sites.
	There is no change to green belt policy which is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 2 Green Belts". This advises that the carrying out of operations and the making of material changes of use which do not maintain the openness of the Green Belt and conflict with the purposes of including land in the Green Belt would not be appropriate development. In such cases applicants would have to demonstrate that there were very special circumstances that clearly outweighed the harm that the development would cause to the Green Belt. Draft PPS10 expects regional planning bodies and planning authorities to prepare and deliver planning strategies that protect green belts but recognise the particular locational needs of some types of waste management and that the wider environmental and economic benefits of sustainable waste management are material considerations that should be given significant weight in determining whether proposals should be given planning permission.

Planning Zones

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1) how many areas have operated simplified planning zones since their inception; and what the dates are of the operation of each such zone;
	(2)  if he will list each simplified planning zone in operation in England; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (sections 82–87), amended by the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 (section 28), provides for the creation of simplified planning zones (SPZs). Since the powers were taken, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is aware of six SPZs that have been created, two of which remain in existence today. They are tabled as follows:
	
		
			 SPZ Local authority Dates of operation 
		
		
			 Sir Francis Ley Industrial Park Derby city council From August 1988 to August 1998 
			 Willowbrook Corby borough council From September 1988 to September 1998 
			 Victoria Park Gedling borough council From November 1991 to November 2001 
			 Slough Trading Estate Slough borough council From January 1995 to January 2005. On 12 November 2004 Slough borough council agreed to a new up-dated version of the SPZ to run for a further 10 years 
			 Kings Norton Birmingham city council From November 1998 to November 2008 
			 Knowsley Industrial Park Knowsley metropolitan borough Information not available 
		
	
	The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (section 45) amends the 1990 Act to provide for the creation by local planning authorities of SPZs, where need has been identified in a regional spatial strategy.

Public Bodies

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what regional (a) bodies, (b) institutions, (c) taskforces, (d) panels, (e) offices and (f) organisations the Government have are the responsibility of his Department.

Yvette Cooper: The following regional bodies, institutions, taskforces, panels, offices or organisations are the responsibility of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Regional Housing Boards
	Nine Government Offices in the regions
	Eight Regional Assemblies outside London are answerable to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for specific functions that they undertake on its behalf.

Rateable Values (Yorkshire)

John Grogan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what (a) the average percentage change in rateable value is from the 2000 rating lists in Selby and York and (b) the average percentage change in liability will be as a result of revaluation before reliefs are applied in Selby and York following the revaluation of business rates from April 2005.

Nick Raynsford: The information is as follows:
	(a)
	Selby—29.07 per cent. decrease in gross rateable value
	York—22.2 per cent. increase in gross rateable value
	Full data on the impact of revaluation on rateable values by billing authority are available on the Valuation Office Agency's website. These also show a breakdown by category within the billing authority.
	See http://www.voa.gov.uk/business_rates/DraftListStats/baindex.html
	(b)
	The percentage change in liability is more difficult to estimate:
	Selby—34.3 per cent. reduction in average liability
	York—14.7 per cent. increase in average liability
	These figures represent the average change before reliefs and are strongly influenced by the changes in value of some high value hereditaments. These need to be seen in that context.

Regional Assemblies

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish (a) the written communications to the Prime Minister concerning (i) the decision to hold three referendums in the North of England on elected regional assemblies, (ii) the decision to hold these referendums by all-postal ballot and (iii) the decision to postpone two of the three referendums, (b) the responses to those communications and (c) the minutes of meetings of (A) Ministers and (B) officials pursuant to those communications.

Nick Raynsford: No. The Government's decisions on these matters, and the reasons for them, were announced or debated in Parliament on the following dates:
	(i) 16 June 2003, Official Report, columns 22–23,
	(ii) 22 October 2003, Official Report, column 629 and 8 (laying of SI in Parliament), 19 and 21 July 2004 (debating of the orders),
	(iii) 22 July 2004, Official Report, columns 501–04 and Official Report, the Other Place, columns 344–51 and 13 September 2004, Official Report, columns 987–89.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) executive agencies within the remit of his Department have regional offices based on the Government Offices for the Regions' regional structure; and when the regional offices were established in each case.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Corporation, a non-departmental public body within the remit of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, reorganised its structure to be congruent with the structure of the Government Offices in the regions in October 2004.

Solar Photovoltaics

Ian Lucas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will amend building regulations to encourage use of photovoltaic cells.

Phil Hope: The Building Regulations requirements are functional rather than prescriptive to enable compliance in practical and cost-effective ways and to leave open the possibilities for innovation. It would therefore be inconsistent to prescribe particular technologies such as solar electricity. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is reviewing the energy efficiency requirements however and amendment proposals were published for consultation last July. The proposals include setting minimum overall building performance standards at levels much higher than at present and providing new technical guidance on low and zero carbon systems to further encourage take-up of these systems.

Sports Facilities

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister under what circumstances sports facilities may be included in section 106 agreements.

Keith Hill: The provision of sport or recreation facilities is a legitimate use of planning obligations (s106 agreements), where they meet the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's policy tests (set out in DoE circular 1/97 and the revised draft circular published in November 2004) of being necessary; relevant to planning; directly related to the proposed development; fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the proposed development; and reasonable in all other respects. Planning Policy Guidance note 17 also gives further guidance on the appropriate use of planning obligations to secure sport or recreation facilities alongside new developments.

Telecommunications Masts

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many mobile phone masts have been erected (a) within school grounds and (b) within 100 m of school grounds in Leicester in each year since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold the information requested centrally, and could provide it only at disproportionate cost.

Travellers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department deal with issues relating to Travellers.

Yvette Cooper: The equivalent of five and a half full-time staff deal with housing and planning policy as it relates to Gypsies and Travellers, along with the equivalent of two full-time staff in the area of planning casework. Part of one member of staffs time in the Social Exclusion Unit is spent dealing with Gypsy and Traveller issues as part of the Unit's project on improving service delivery for disadvantaged people who move frequently. These officials are part of the housing and planning directorates in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which employ 155 and 227 staff respectively.
	A Gypsy and Traveller Unit is being established by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to take policy forward, and to provide support and guidance to local authorities. This Unit will bring together existing resources as well as providing additional resources. The exact staffing of the Unit has not yet been determined.

Your Say Information Campaign

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish the advice or guidance his Department received from the Cabinet Secretary or from his office concerning the proposed content of the Your Say information campaign (a) before and (b) after the final content was agreed by the Cabinet Secretary.

Nick Raynsford: Information relating to internal discussion and advice is not for publication. However, I can confirm that the advice received by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister from the Cabinet Secretary was acted on and incorporated into the Your Say information campaign material.